An Unexpected Company
by elizabetx
Summary: Elizabeth wakes up to find herself in Middle Earth. What she doesn't know is that she was born to join the quest to reclaim Erebor. She was born to change the future of the dwarves, and to make her own. And perhaps, she was fated to meet a certain dark-haired prince. Kili/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**PROLOGUE**.

* * *

"_Please_," he yelled, his eyes begging me, "_Just jump!_"

Fear ran through my body, searing my veins like the touch of hot iron. I couldn't do it- _I wouldn't do it_- because my brain would not allow me. My fight or flight responses worked against me, and my head screamed that I should run in the opposite direction. But if my feet strayed back I knew it would certainly be the death of me. So I stood there frozen with Gloin's arm around me, unable to will my feet to move.

"We don't have much time little Lizzie," Gloin urged; I could tell he felt anxious to bridge the gap. I swallowed hard and squeezed my eyes shut.

"I-I- you know I'm _ridiculously_ afraid of heights." My teeth were gritted and I could feel bile beginning to rise in the back of my throat. Of all things to drag myself into, this was the _worst_.

"Lass, you'll jump with me. I ain' got no intentions of lettin' y'die here when you've come s'far," Bofur strained. He pushed his way to the end of the crumbling rock and had me wrap my arms around him. "Now don't look down. I've got ye."

In that moment, he leapt and my stomach flipped. I could feel my heart pounding against Bofur as we sailed through the air. It felt like one of those dreams where you're falling from a cliff. Except, we actually _were_ falling from a cliff. In desperation I clung even tighter to the dwarf. I thought I was going to die.

I couldn't help my life from flashing before my eyes.

"S'okay, we've landed." The thud of his boots sounded and his figure jolted. He took a second to smile at me meekly and help me pry my arms from his body.

As much as my aches wanted to protest, we were running again. Down, down, _down_. My stomach churned and my limbs numbed. Trees and underbrush left scratches along my arms as we sprinted through the forest. The faint smell of fire and earth hung in the air. Still, we could hear the screeches behind us, and my eyes searched vigorously for the dwarf that called for me to jump. I could find him nowhere, so I pushed on.

Ori ran at my side now, pulling out his sword. "Lizzie take your weapons out!" His eyes were urgent and frightened. I would have given anything at that second to be sitting by the fire knitting with Ori like we occasionally did, instead of running for my life with him. I wanted to make mittens, _not_ slaughter monsters.

I choked out a breath as I ran smack dab into a clearing. The dwarves were stacking in on each other, none of them willing to run another inch. From that point the only way out of the situation involved fighting.

"Sweet Jesus if I ever get out out this-"

And then they were on us. Howling, scratching, biting, and bearing their teeth with their golden eyes blazing against the dark. They were nasty creatures, bigger than dogs and wolves, sporting fangs that looked sharper than a lion's. It took all of the fear in me to draw my knives from my belt and face down my enemy.

My knives went quick, sinking into flesh and tearing muscle. Shrieks grew louder as the beasts died at the hands of the dwarves. Bodies flew at me from almost every direction, and I knew I couldn't hold out long.

"Lizzie!" It was Kili. Covered in sweat, blood, and dirt, he sliced open the throat of a creature baring down on him. He looked exhausted and frantic. "You've got to stay behind us!" His hand shot out and I was being pulled to his side quickly. "I am _not_ about to let you get hurt." My eyes darted to his shoulder, wet with fresh blood, a large gash visible just under his torn cloak.

"No-" I tried to protest, but he wouldn't hear it. There wasn't any time to argue while there were monsters bounding at us from every side.

We were as good as dead. _Oh God, we were all going to die here._

That's when everything went black.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE.**

* * *

Bright. _Everything was so very bright._

I couldn't remember the last time I had woken up to the sun beaming through my windows so intensely. Neither had my room been so warm and nice with an air about it like a summer breeze. _Odd_. I could smell the fresh scent of grass and field flowers drifting throughout the air. It felt so magnificent I didn't want to open my eyes. It was Saturday after all, and I didn't have to be anywhere.

"My dear what are you doing out here so early?"

_What? Who_- My eyes shot open. I was definitely _not_ in my bed.

A man with a blue pointy hat, grey beard and robes stood before me, leaning on a staff of wood with a quizzical look on his face. I recognized him from somewhere, but I couldn't put my finger on it. He stood silently, looking at me expectantly against the bright blue sky.

I shot him a confused look. "I-I'm not quite so sure myself. I _was_ at home and now I'm well... here. I don't quite know where on earth I am. I-uh, maybe I'm dreaming. This is all so strange... what-"

He lowered his eyes and looked at my face with great interest before an expression of recognition swept across his features. His eyebrows raised and he let out a chortle as if he were meeting a long lost friend on the road changed by the difference of just a few years.

"Elizabeth, why it's you! Heavens I have been waiting to stumble upon you for so long. I was quite afraid I wouldn't have any luck before I reached Bag End."

"I beg your pardon sir? How do you know my name? What's going on?" The words blundered out of my mouth. _Literally, how the heck did he know who I was?_

I strained my eyes to search around the old man. I sat in the middle of a field of tall, brilliantly green grass not far from a dirt road, leaned up against the trunk of a tall willow tree. A stream cut through the east end of the field, and what looked like a farm house was perched directly near the edge of a forest on the north end. My surroundings were far more delightful and charming than I'd ever seen any place look.

"Oh- you do not know. No matter, we have places to be." He held his hand out directly, helping me up from the grass. My eyes were still wide in shock, and he gave a quick grunt at my expression. "Dear you have got to stop looking like that. Let me tell you I am Gandalf the Grey, since you have obviously forgotten. "

"Gandalf the-" _Wait_. My mind felt like thousand horses were thundering through my head.

"Yes?" He questioned me with a raised brow and began to walk toward the road. I found myself running and catching up to his long strides. I might as well have followed him- I had nothing to lose.

"Where are we? And... where exactly are we going?"

"Why, to Bag End. Precisely where I told you I was headed a minute ago. We are in the Shire. I believe you were sleeping near the old Sackville-Baggins's farm-" he grimaced, "-an odd place for you to be."

_Gandalf. The Shire. Bag End. Baggins_. Why I didn't recognize it before, I didn't know. _What on Earth was going on?_ I thought was dreaming. How else would I have magically appeared in Middle Earth? _This was a ridiculously vivid dream. What had I been doing before I fell asleep-_

"And you aren't dressed properly either. But I suppose you didn't know. The Valar work in their own ways."

"_Vala-who?_" And then I looked down at my clothes.

A long white dress hung off my frame with lace and embroidery that made it appear like it had once belonged to a princess, I was wearing no shoes, and my hair had grown to my waist. Gandalf had appeared quite tall as I thought he should have been, but I was short. Quite shorter than I could ever recall. I ran my hands through my hair and found a flower crown perched atop my head. _What was I, the fairy wood princess? What even._

"You know the Valar. But how is your family, Elizabeth? Have they taken your travel well?"

I thought back to my mother, very much still in the real world in Brighton. My cat Twinks, curled up at my feet before I went to bed the previous night.

"I don't think they know." If I were dreaming, then how would my mother possibly know? I observed my feet and noted they were still small.

"Well I suppose that makes sense, seeing you don't even know how you got here yourself." He smiled lazily at his comment before turning back to direct his eyes toward my clothes. "We will have to do something soon about those. You won't get past the edge of the Shire in that."

I laughed. "I usually wouldn't make it out my own front door in something like this." _My front door... home. But this was a silly dream._

"Tell me, what were you doing before you got here?"

It took a second for me to recall. "I was at home with my mother. We were talking about something I can't think of, and then I went to bed. I had been out for tea with a few of my friends since it was too cold to go to the beach. I remember my cat curling up against me and falling asleep."

"Well." Gandalf reached beneath his robes and brought out a pipe. "How curious."

We passed over hills and through fields on that dirt road, walking in silence, not once stopping along the way. Houses- or Hobbit holes- were scattered everywhere, some places more densely populated than others. Occasionally animals would stop to look at us curiously, but not a soul paid us much attention. Most were interested in their gardening or reading the papers on their porches.

"Ah, here we are." Gandalf grinned when we reached the top of a particularly large hill. A Hobbit was sitting on a stone bench outside of his hole, smoking his pipe. He wore a colorful outfit, and had a rather proud look on his face as he was deep in thought. His front garden was immaculately trimmed and his door was freshly painted. He quickly startled from his musings when he saw us coming.

"Good morning!" The Hobbit called, sending Gandalf a bizarre look. Gandalf raised his eyebrows and turned his gaze down on him.

"What do you mean? Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"

The Hobbit looked truly perplexed. _Heck, even I was confused._ "All of them at once, I suppose."

"Well. No matter, I do not have time to discuss what kind of morning it is. I am looking for someone to share in an adventure." At once, at the sound of the word adventure, Bilbo's bewilderment turned into a frown.

"We Hobbits are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty, disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I have no time for adventures." He turned on his heel as if to start toward the house and then sighed in exasperation. He had forgotten his mail. I watched as he nervously sifted through the letters.

"Good morning!" He shot Gandalf a pointed look and stuck the pipe back in his mouth. "We don't want any adventures here, thank you!"

"Bilbo Baggins-" Oh. It was him. He looked startled that Gandalf knew his name. "You do know my name, though you don't remember that I belong to it. I am Gandalf. And Gandalf means well... me! To think that I should have lived to be good morninged by Belladonna Took's son, as if I was selling buttons at the door!"

Bilbo squinted his eyes. "Gandalf... Gandalf! Not the man that used to make such particularly excellent fireworks! I remember those! They were splendid!" Gandalf made a quick scoff. I didn't blame him- he had much greater things to be remembered by that Bilbo's recognition was almost an insult. "I beg your pardon, but I had no idea you were still in business."

"Where else should I be? All the same I am pleased to find you remember something about me."

"And who's this?" Bilbo asked. His brown eyes were now directly on me. "I beg your pardon, but I am sure I don't remember her."

"Miss Elizabeth Woolridge." Gandalf smiled gently down at me and put a hand on my shoulder. "She is helping me in this adventure."

"Wait-" I furrowed my eyebrows. _I didn't remember agreeing to any adventure._

"Oh, I see. Well I don't want any adventures, thank you. Not today. Good morning! But please come to tea- any time you like! Why not tomorrow? Come tomorrow! Good bye!" Bilbo, with his light hair and particularly large feet, gave a nod in our direction and proceeded to enter his house, leaving us in his garden.

"He's quite persistent in saying no," Gandalf mumbled, trekking through a few beds of flowers to reach the front door, "But I am also persistent in my thought that he is the Hobbit for this adventure."

With that, he began scratching a strange mark in the green paint with his staff.

"What's that for?" I asked as he admired his work for a few seconds, seeming to deem it acceptable. I could see Bilbo staring from the window inside as if he were trying to figure out why we were still at his door. A flustered look washed over his face before he retreated back into his home.

"All in good time, you will see. Now come, we've got to find you some clothes before this evening!"

* * *

**Wahoo! There's the prologue and first chapter done for you!  
**

** Let me start off by saying I am _so_ incredibly excited for this. I had so much fun writing this. I included the prologue and first chapter together in this one part because I think leaving on that kind of note would leave a rather sour taste in the mouth because you haven't been properly introduced to anything yet by that point.**

**This will be based on the Hobbit (and heck, I don't know, maybe even beyond but I haven't decided anything), and will follow both the book and the movie with probably quite a few things from my imagination. I intend on making this a detailed story because heaven knows I don't want to be halfway through the novel by the first ten chapters. And YES, this is a Kili/OC story.  
**

**I don't want to keep rambling on, so I'll stop. If you have any questions about the story or have any constructive criticism go ahead and shoot me a PM or leave a review. Hope you enjoyed!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO.**

* * *

Prior to re-trampling Bilbo's garden and promptly hurrying down the hill, Gandalf searched for a place to buy clothes. He finally settled on old Melinda Proudfoot's shop of fabrics and attire, which was a rather established hole in the ground, built out of good solid wood and painted a bright off-white color. There were wildflowers growing everywhere around her property except for around the trimmed pathway leading to the bright yellow door.

When we entered she sent us a wary glimpse from her sewing. Like Bilbo, she wore bright clothing; a cherry dress accented with golden and jade colors hung over her stout frame.

"What can I do for you folk?" Her beady eyes watched us from under her glasses.

"We are in need of some travel clothes for Miss Elizabeth." Gandalf gave the woman a pleasant smile and pushed me forward with his staff.

"Hm-" She put one hand on her hip and the other on my shoulder, giving me a once over. "We'll take a few measurements and see what I have."

She took a half hour to measure me before she was pleased with her accuracy, and scuttled into the back to rummage through a rack of shirts, trousers, and what looked like scarves. I took the opportunity to wind my way over to her jewelry case, staring in through the clouded glass. _Dirty much?_

There were necklaces, brooches, earrings, and little odds and ends all in bright color and heavily jeweled.

That's when I spotted it, twinkling brightly under the sunlight casting in through the window. What looked like a small shirt pin, made of clear cut emeralds and pearls in the shape of a miniature ivy leaf, was clasped gently into a piece of velvet fabric underneath. It appeared so delicate and lovely at that moment I felt a strange tug at my heart.

"Ah, how pretty." Gandalf had leaned over my shoulder to peer down into the case. "I do believe that would look quite nice on you Elizabeth." I nodded my head quickly in agreement.

"Here we are! The perfect size and fit you'll find!" Melinda came bounding from the back, a few items of clothing draped across her arms. "Into the fitting room you go!"

A pair of light brown woolen trousers, a white linen shirt that very much resembled a tunic, a grey wool scarf, some camel-colored lace up boots that ended above my ankles, a chocolate tunic, and a mint ribbon were all that she had given me. I tucked the shirt into my trousers and decided to tie the ribbon around my wrist until I needed it, letting my hair hang freely in long waves against my waist with the crown of wildflowers still intact. I was quite fond of it once I thought about it. I rolled up my sleeves roughly just below my elbows.

_Now I could get used to this._ Clothes back home weren't exactly as professionally sewn as these.

"Ah, dear Elizabeth I do believe you're quite ready for an adventure now." Gandalf glanced at my new clothes in acceptance. "But Mrs. Proudfoot, how about that ivy pin from your jewelry case?"

"Oh yes, yes! That one would be quite charming!" She shuffled to her jewelry case, her blonde hair spilling over her shoulders, and plucked the pin from its resting place. Directly, she pinned it into my tunic just beside where my scarf fell and observed it with admiration. "It's beautiful on you! My, it was meant for you."

As Gandalf paid Melinda Proudfoot with gold he produced from somewhere under his robes, I couldn't help but to gaze rather intently at the pin in my shirt. It was perched against the cotton as if it had been intended to be there its entire existence. _How curious._ I never found jewelry this dazzling.

Melinda waved good bye as we exited her shop, turning out back into the sun that was beginning to set. The warmth felt nice against my skin and I was much more comfortable without feeling the flow of air around my legs and bare feet. The dress I was once wearing had been deposited safely into an extra bag Gandalf had given me.

"How about a little sustenance while we wait?" Gandalf inquired, turning his gaze to the old inn down the dirt road. I shrugged my shoulders as I sauntered on behind him.

"Gandalf what are we waiting on?"

"Dinner," he smiled heartily, "And a company of dwarves."

I wrinkled my eyebrows. "Dwarves?" _Wha?_

"Yes, now in you go."

Gandalf pushed me gently through the doors of the inn, causing me to stumble into a room full of all kinds of different folk, sitting around drinking mugs of ale and wine and all sorts of other things. A few taller men sat by the window in one corner, some Hobbits situated themselves around the bar laughing merrily, and there were some taller than Hobbits but shorter than an ordinary man resting around a fireplace. Most of them turned their gazes up at my entrance.

"Gandalf!" One of the men by the fire exclaimed, putting his glass of ale down and striding toward the old wizard before giving him a quick embrace. He had a chestnut brown beard braided intricately into three different sections, and his hair reflected the style of his beard.

"Nori, I'm quite surprised to see you all here." Gandalf tilted his head to the other men in the direction he came from, giving them a warm smile.

"Who's the little lass?" Nori asked. He shot me a toothy grin before extending his hand. With a swift bow he kissed my hand. "At your service m'lady."

"I-It's Elizabeth. Or Lizzie if you'd like to call me that." My words were directed toward the entire group and my cheeks flushed a little. I wasn't this used to such formal introductions. Nor this many men staring at me. _Did all of them here have to ogle women every time they saw them or something? I mean really._

Nori proceeded to introduce the rest of his companions. "Now this is Ori, Dori, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur, and finally Oin and Gloin." Ori was rather childish looking with big eyes and a goofy grin, Dori older and more wise looking, Bifur had a salt-and-pepper beard and an axe lodged in his forehead, Bofur possessed ridiculously lovely smile and dark hair, Bombur was very round and ginger, Oin appeared a messier, shorter old version of a wizard, and finally Gloin boasted fiery red hair and an intricately braided and jeweled beard. "Come have a seat Lizzie!"

The only seat left around the fire was between Ori and Bofur, which proved for an interesting rest of the evening. While we drank a strong, dark ale I learned that Ori preferred knitting and reading books about the natural wildflowers and plants of middle earth, and Bofur enjoyed whittling out toys from wood and was quite the storyteller and teacher. Within a few short minutes, Bofur started up one of his tales, entrancing both Ori and I.

"When I was a young lad, Erebor claimed the title of one o' the greatest dwarf kingdoms in all o' Middle Earth. The kingdom went leagues under the mountain an' housed an array o' dwarves who came far an' wide to mine the ores the land produced. They kept diggin' deeper an' deeper into the mountain when they hit the greatest stone 'ere found. The arkenstone. Now-"

During the middle of Bofur's story about Erebor before the terrible dragon had taken over, Gandalf stood and motioned to the dwarves and me informing us it was time we paid Bilbo a visit for dinner. We happily scattered out the door, each dwarf laughing and forming a line as we ventured to the Hobbit hole. They were a merry bunch, chatting all the way up the hill about whether the last addition to the company would be of the adventuresome sort.

"Oi, what's a Hobbit gonna do on this journey? I ain't seen one with fighting skills!" Gloin's beard moved up and down and the clasps holding its braids clinked against his overcoat as he spoke.

"Well he's a burglar isn't he?" Bifur raised an eyebrow at Gandalf. _Bilbo Baggins, a burglar? Was that supposed to be a joke?_ Bilbo was scrawny, polite, and seemed to never leave his house.

"Quite a surprising one." Gandalf backed behind the group of dwarves as they now huddled against one another in front of Bilbo's bright green door. I opened my mouth to tell them they would fall straight through the door if it were opened, but Bilbo's agitated voice squeaked from inside.

_"I've got plenty of dwarves in my house already, thank you! ...If this is some kind of joke it is a very poor one indeed!"_

The door swung open, and everyone- Ori, Nori, Dori, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Oin, and Gloin- went toppling into Bilbo's Hobbit hole. Grunting sounds were made, yelps of "Get off me!" resonated, and the dwarves struggled to climb off of one another. Bilbo's face appeared even more baffled than I'd seen him before.

"Gandalf! What- how- why what is the meaning of this?" Bilbo straightened his scarf and moved aside as his house became overrun. The only ones left on his front steps were Gandalf and I.

"Now be careful dear Bilbo! It is not like you to keep friends waiting on the mat, and then open the door like a pop-gun! Almost all of us are here now." I followed Gandalf into Bilbo's foyer, and hung my cloak up on the hooks just as the other dwarves had, and promptly left him behind to explore the dining room.

Little did I know it, but this night, and this moment, was one of those fate-changing, destiny-following, big-sort-of-deal experiences.

"Chamomile tea Miss Lizzie?" Dori asked. A tray of teacups and a kettle were in his hands.

"Oh, sure!" He poured me a cup and I took it thankfully, finding a seat beside Bofur. "But really call me Lizzie! No Miss needed!"

"So we have a lady in our presence! I didn't know Gandalf was bringing this one along!" A dwarf I had not yet seen plopped himself down in front of us after Dori left, giving me a warm smile. He had piled his plate so high with meats, cheeses, and other various things from Bilbo's pantry that if he actually ate all of it I was sure he would burst. His hair was blonde and he looked younger than the rest of the company. His mustache was braided, but his beard was not as long as the ones the others had grown. "Fili, at your service!"

"Elizabeth." I smiled and bowed my head politely at him. That's when an even younger dwarf, laughing at something in the direction of Bilbo's pantry, situated himself beside Fili.

_Hot damn. This existed in Middle Earth?_

Fili elbowed the dark-haired dwarf sitting beside him, shooting a glance toward me. "Kili, this is Elizabeth." He raised his dark brown eyes and sent me an intense look. I noticed his lack of beard immediately.

"Oh! Pleased to meet you Miss Elizabeth." He reached across the table and took my hand, kissing the top of it, his eyes never leaving mine._ Dear God._ _I like this dream. _"Kili, at your service."

By this point Gandalf had taken a chair at the head of the table and Bilbo had found a spot by the fireside where he nibbled on the edge of a biscuit. The dwarves started in on their food, eating and talking about their journey here and what lay ahead on the road.

"Elizabeth where are you from?" Fili questioned me. Kili's attention was still focused on me, and it made me quite nervous to be under his stare.

"Er- Brighton."

"Never heard of it." Kili nodded, taking a plate that Bombur placed in front of him. It was overflowing with food just as Fili's had been a few moments ago before he started in on it. "You don't seem like you're from around here Miss Elizabeth."

"Well... I'm not really. I still don't really know where I quite am." Gandalf shot me a look across the table that instantly told me not to give too much away. "But I left that up to Gandalf! I've been traveling with him."

"Aye, must be somewhere up north," Fili remarked, stuffing a bread roll in his mouth.

Each of them took turns asking questions directed at me, all while I was under the pointed gaze of Kili, until we were finished eating. Bilbo hurried around the table, trying to take the plates, but the dwarves pushed him away, insisting that they do the cleaning for him. Within a few seconds, they were throwing plates around the room while Bilbo yelled nervously that they were going to break his dishes. His cries were matched hoots and chuckling as the dwarves started up in song.

_Chip the glasses and crack the plates!  
Blunt the knives and bend the forks!  
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates-  
Smash the bottles and burn the corks!_

_Cut the cloth and tread on the fat!  
Pour the milk on the pantry floor!  
Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!  
Splash the wine on every door!_

_Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl;  
Pound them up with a thumping pole;  
And when you've finished if any are whole,  
Send them down the hall to roll!_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!  
So, carefully! Carefully with the plates!_

When the song was finished, all the dishes were put away unscathed and cleaned neatly. I could have sworn poor Bilbo Baggins almost keeled over with a heart attack.

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**First off, thank you guys for the sweet reviews and for following & whatnot!**

**We're still a little in introductory mode so I hope to add more info and details as the story starts to move on. I just kind of take it as Lizzie is just kind of basking in her dream for a bit and taking everything in. I hope you guys like the little back story I created for what Gandalf and Lizzie did before they found their way up to Bilbo's house. I focused a little on her pin because it will be important later in the story. And of course, I had to make Kili intensely interested in little Lizzie! I know I would _definitely_ want him to stare at me like that! Hehe ;)  
**

**Anyway, continue being fabulous guys!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE.**

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As if timed perfectly during our short period of silence, a loud knock resonated throughout the Hobbit hole. Not a word was spoken as Bilbo broke away from the fire to greet the guest. It was as if a light switch had been flipped and the dwarves had sobered out.

"Our uncle." Fili and Kili exchanged glances.

"Aye, Thorin." Dwalin pulled up an extra chair at the table for their last guest.

Who I could only assume was Thorin, came through the door with Bilbo and Gandalf on his heels. He stood a little taller than the other dwarves (with the exception of Dwalin and Bifur) and held an air about him that was almost intimidating. Black hair fell a little past his shoulders and his beard was a little more neatly kept than his other companions'. He certainly seemed less cheery.

"If it weren't for that mark you made on the door I might never have found this place. I already was turned around twice." He took his cloak off roughly before hanging it on a hook beside the door and striding past Bilbo.

"I beg your pardon but I just painted my door last week! There is no mark on that door." Bilbo turned impatiently to Gandalf and shot him a horrified look. Certainly the poor Hobbit worried about the state of his hole as if it were his own child. At this point, I didn't quite understand what exactly Gandalf had seen in Bilbo. It was becoming more and more apparent he certainly wouldn't be fit for any sort of adventure; he wouldn't even last beyond his own front gate. Thorin turned and glanced quickly at Bilbo.

"Is this the burglar?" Thorin looked to Gandalf, and he nodded. "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar!"

"There's more to this Hobbit than meets the eye. Do sit down, we've much to discuss." Gandalf pointed to the empty chair at the head of the table and followed Thorin into the dining room. Poor Bilbo, in his state of bewilderment that was only common for the evening, resumed his place by the fireside. I turned to him and gave him a quick pat on the shoulder and a knowing glance.

"And who's this? You made no mention of a lass." Thorin's eyebrows wrenched together in uncertainty when his blue eyes met mine.

"Elizabeth Woolridge," Gandalf spoke, "And she will be of great use to you when the time comes. But for now she can do small services for you such as cook and sew your clothes. You might also take her advice."

"Her advice? And what land does such a creature come from? What race is she?" _What race?_ I hadn't hardly seen a mirror to look at myself, but last time I checked I thought I was a human. Unless this dream wanted otherwise. Not like I was in control of anything.

"Brighton-" I placed both my hands on the table and stood from my chair then.

"Her race is no concern of yours, it is that of the Valar. If you want me to help you with this quest, you will not ask many questions of this girl about herself until you have grown in their eyes. She is not here to harm you, she is here to help you! Now _please_. I'd like to see the map." The room shook as Gandalf delivered his speech, an eerie silence falling once again over the company. I could feel many of their stares directed at me and I caught Kili's glance before my eyes went to my scarf.

Thorin grunted before I felt his stare leave my small frame. He fumbled around under the lining of his jacket before he found a rolled up piece of parchment, which he spread on the table before us. There were quite a few landmarks on the map and a few scribblings in a language that I could not read. One thing was clear though- The Lonely Mountain seemed to pop from the edge of the paper.

"The Lonely Mountain." Bilbo peered over Thorin's shoulder.

"Aye, that is where we'll be headed." Gloin mumbled, leaning on his large axe.

"But you forget the way through the front gate is closed. There is no way to get into Erebor. The quest would be senseless. Smaug would have us before we reached Dale." Balin sighed.

"I-I um, who's Smaug?" I asked; I felt way out of the loop. Bilbo sent a look of relief my way.

"Indeed and why are you traveling to Erebor?" Bilbo quipped.

"Oi lass don't tell me you forgot what I was tellin' you about earlier." Bofur frowned down at me and I felt my cheeks tinge pink. _Now they were going to think I was stupid. _"The city! Oh- never quite finished my tale... sorry Lizzie."

"Tell it again Bofur, we might as well inform our new companions," Thorin's gaze was cold, "As long as they intend to remember it."

Bofur's face was apologetic before he began the great tale of how Erebor was lost for the second time that day.

* * *

_Far out past the Misty Mountains, there once was a town called Dale, thriving before the Lonely Mountain. The men of Dale labored and protected their families with ease, speaking to the birds and trading goods with the dwarves at their leisure. It was a beautiful city to behold and many fell in love and did not leave once they reached it. But there was an even greater treasure to behold beyond that haven._

_Under that mountain the greatest kingdom in the land, Erebor, stood in might against the world. Dwarves made a fancy living and lived in peace with the rest of Middle Earth. The men of Erebor made their livings by mining into the mountain, and there were many gems and lots of gold to be found. _

_Thrór was King Under the Mountain at the time and his lust for gold was great. He pushed for the dwarves to delve deeper- to mine more and more gold- and that's when the arkenstone was found. The man who encountered the stone was taken aback by its great beauty and called it the heart of the mountain. Once Thrór got his hands on the stone, his greed for gold became even stronger.  
_

_By the time he had amassed a great treasure, his son and grandson had begun to fear his great sickness. They warned him of the trouble his wealth would cause, but he would not listen. He called for more each day, and soon it was known throughout the kingdom what was possessed in Erebor.  
_

_That's when Smaug, a great fire drake from the north, was awoken. He came down onto the mountain with great force, scorching the city of Dale in his path, leaving nothing. Dragons are known for their interest in treasure, their desire to guard their claim until their death so great it strikes fear into the hearts of even the bravest men. And Smaug was no different than any other dragon. He took what belonged to Thrór and his kin, desolating the mountain, killing, and leaving those left without a home.  
_

_Thranduil, elf-king, brought his army to the doorstep of Erebor, but the king would not risk the lives of his own people to help the dwarves reclaim their home.  
_

_That day, Erebor was lost, and the remaining dwarves were left nomads to the lands of Middle Earth.  
_

* * *

"What a terrible tale." Bilbo's eyes flashed sadly at the table of dwarves. "But how can you get back into the mountain if there is no way in?"

"Is there not another way in?" Gandalf pulled from his robes an intricately made key and handed it to Thorin. "Given to me by your father passed down from your grandfather."

"If there's a key, there must be a door!" Fili's face lit up in pure excitement. _No kidding there's a door stupid._

Kili slapped his brother on the shoulder and grinned. "There's another way in!"

"But where?" Thorin mused. There was no indication of another door on the map, and by their reactions I figured they obviously wouldn't know where it was. They would spend half their quest just looking for the door if they didn't have further information.

"I believe there's something more to this map, and we must find someone who can properly read it. There would not be a door if no one knew where it was." Gandalf stated simply. "And this is why we need a burglar."

"An expert at that." Bilbo stared at the map. "It will be quite tricky to just slip in there."

"Oi, he says he's an expert!" Gloin laughed, and the booming laughs of the others fell in shortly afterwards.

"Who- _me?_ I'm no burglar! I've never stolen anything in my life!" Bilbo exclaimed before retreating to Gandalf's side.

"I'm afraid I'll have to agree with the Hobbit on that one." Balin said. "It's a dangerous journey and by the looks of it Bilbo's never seen anything past the Shire."

Gandalf's face grew dark and he rose up against the dwarves again, "If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then he is a burglar!" The entire table held themselves in silence as they waited for him to continue. "Now Balin, give him the contract."

Balin stood and pulled what looked like to be a rather long, folded document from his jacket and handed it to Bilbo. Immediately the Hobbit began reading the contents thoroughly.

"Seems fair... In case of laceration...? _Inceneration..._?" Bilbo nearly dropped the contract as he started sputtering.

"Aye! Burn the flesh right off ye Smaug will! Think furnace, with wings!" Bofur stood up, peering over at Bilbo.

"Bofur you aren't helping!" I concealed a chuckle and hit him in the leg. Bilbo was growing paler by the second.

"You'll be gone in the blink of an' eye!"

And with that, Bilbo fainted on the floor. Nori and Dori rushed to his side, mumbling about Bofur's lack of filter, picking him up and carrying him into his living room. The sudden movement seemed to put everyone out of their seats and about the house, finding places to settle down for the night. Most of us decided on sitting around the fire peacefully in Bilbo's front room, and I found myself inspecting Bilbo's large collection of books.

"Why don't you come sit down with us?" I heard Kili's voice softly from over my shoulder. I turned around and raised my eyebrow, but decided to humor him. There would be another day- _or dream, in my case_- to rove through bookcases. Fili had saved a chair for me between the two brothers and he welcomed my presence with a great smile.

"You're a very mysterious character Miss Lizzie." Fili kicked his feet up on the side of the table. "But there's something about you..."

"Feels like home." Kili finished for him, supplying me with another one of his curious gazes.

"Home?" I was taken aback by their connection. _What did that even mean?_

"You've got a very pretty demeanor lass. That's all." Fili smiled and I blushed.

"You're a curious girl. Can't quite make out whether you're a wood-fairy or something." Kili chuckled. "Y'ain't got a beard like a girl dwarf and you're short, but you don't have big feet and you're not stout-"

Fili cut his brother off. "Are you good with any weapons?"

"Well I don't really know much-" _Lie. I didn't know anything about weapons._

"We'll have to fix that. I don't suppose we'll finish this journey without running into any danger." He frowned.

"What about riding a pony?" Kili piped up.

"I used to ride horses sometimes when I was little-"

"Someone as small as you?!" Both of them looked at me with wide eyes. "You are different."

They looked at themselves and settled in their chairs contently, listening to Thorin's soft humming from where he stood by the fireplace. Soon, it was the only sound in the entire house, and turned into a full-blown song about the Lonely Mountain. To this day, I would still claim that it was one of the most beautiful songs that I ever had the privilege of hearing.

I blinked heavily and focused on the fire before I yawned and curled up in Bilbo's soft armchair. There was a soft shuffling of boots and someone put their cloak over me, which I mumbled out a thank you for, and I lost touch with the rest of the evening with the comforting veil of sleep.

* * *

**Thank you guys for following + the favorites + reviewing again! :)**

I totally delayed this because I went to go see the Hobbit for like the third time today. I will admit every time I saw Thorin I literally was just... #majestic. And just. All the feels. The love I have for those dwarves. I can't even.

**Anyway. Hope you enjoyed as always!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR.**

* * *

That morning, I expected my dream would have pleasantly ended. _It didn't._

I opened my eyes to the same surroundings I'd closed them to. The fabric of the cloak around me still felt very real, soft, and a little scratchy, and the red armchair provided me with a stiff back. I began to panic, searching the recesses of my mind for anything that could have hinted at what was going on, but Ori's face appeared in front of mine before my mind got ahead of itself.

"You're awake Lizzie!" He grinned, rubbing his hands together; a slight chill hung in the air since the fire long burnt out. "Would you like some coffee? Gandalf's been meaning to speak to you. Would you mind sharing a pony? I'm afraid we don't have plenty, especially if Mr. Baggins decides to come along-"

"I would _love _some coffee Ori." I interrupted quickly and shrugged the cloak off of myself. He nodded cheerily and ran off into the kitchen only to come back with a scalding cup of hot coffee. "Thank you."

Gandalf appeared in the doorway and motioned for me to leave the still sleeping dwarves behind. He guided me out of the house and onto the bench that we'd found Bilbo smoking his pipe on contently the previous day. The morning air was even colder than it was inside, and I was happy that whoever gave me their royal blue cloak had decided to.

"I do not believe you truly understand why you are here now." Gandalf murmured after his long, concentrated silence. _No kidding. _"It seems after some time the Valar decided to bring you to us without memory of your past and I will not interfere. They will give your memory back when they see fit. But I am afraid you think you are in a dream."

"_But aren't I_?"

"No I am afraid you're not. Be wise about your time here Elizabeth." He gave me a quick pat on the back before looking at me with his steel blue eyes. "It's best you let things take their course. Now up you go. We have an adventure to begin!"

Back inside Bilbo's hole, all thirteen dwarves clambered about looking for anything they could possibly eat to quell their hunger before the day begun. Bifur retreated to a corner to work on organizing his collection of knives and shine his axe while many of the others were busy stuffing their faces and throwing things into their packs. Bombur set his sights on fitting his cookware into the most efficient stack that could easily be carried on a pony, and Bilbo was nowhere in sight.

My cloak hung where I had left it last night, and I realized that the clothes on my back were the only possessions I had to carry on this journey. _The Valar- whoever they are- could have at least dropped me off here with something._

"There you are Miss Elizabeth!" Kili appeared in front of me, striding from the living room. "I believe you have my cloak."

"Oh-" I blushed and handed it to him. _I really needed to stop doing that._ "I'm sorry about that. Please don't call me miss."

"Alright, _Elizabeth_. It was no problem, you looked cold."

"Once we have our bags we must go, Bilbo or not!" Thorin's voice rang out over the shuffling. My eyes widened in realization that I'd had nothing to eat for breakfast and my stomach was certainly rumbling. I shuffled through the dwarves to the kitchen to find a few pieces of toast and some eggs left, which I carried out after everyone was beginning to file out of the house.

Beyond Bilbo's front gate and out past a few other Hobbit holes, sixteen ponies were all grazing quietly tied up around a few trees. Each seemed to have a rider, spare one that was packed with various goods, and the other that Gandalf deemed reserved for Bilbo.

"Here Lizzie, you can ride with me." Fili beamed at me and offered a hand down from his blonde pony. I graciously accepted his offer seeing the other dwarves deep in conversation, making bets on whether Bilbo would show up or not. _Rude._ Poor Bilbo had hardly met the company, his house had been ransacked, and he'd been scared out of his mind and they were taking wagers against him. Fili pulled me up onto his pony, Misty, and I settled down in front of him. Thankfully, I was tiny enough for him to be able grip the reins.

"I think Bilbo will come!" I chirped and a storm of guffaws filled the air. Bifur mumbled something not many of us could understand.

"Aye, you'll be down 20 gold when he doesn't lass!" Dwalin boomed.

As all of us were mounted, the ponies set forth at a steady pace following the pathway ahead of us. Gandalf rode out front with Thorin, Balin was close behind with Dwalin, Bifur and his brothers Bofur and Bombur after, and the rest all piled up before Fili and Kili brought up the rear. The chill of the morning air was beginning to wane and the sun began to beat down, warming my bones.

"This is going to be a _longgggg _walk, isn't it?" I drawled at no one in particular.

"Might as well get settled in Lizzie. The Lonely Mountain won't even come into sight for a few months." Kili patted the brown pony beneath him. "Miss Daisy might be tired before the end of it."

"_Months?_" My eyes were wide and I could feel the rumble of Fili's laughter on my back.

"What did you think when the old wizard brought you to us? This isn't a prance down the street."

"Aye," Kili agreed and shot me a solemn glance, "It'll be troublesome."

"Might run into some goblins, or maybe even bears, or orcs." Fili peered over my shoulder. "What a pretty pin, Lizzie."

"Oh, I found it just earlier yesterday in Melinda Proudfoot's old shop right down from Bilbo's house." It glimmered brilliantly in the sunlight against the stark white color of my tunic.

"I remember when we were small boys I used to see a woman in the market that wore one like that." Kili studied it intently.

"Oh I know her. What was her name? Erys... no. _Emilie._ That was it. She used to buy Bofur's toys." Fili observed. "She came into the Blue Mountains once a week and told us stories about the villages in the forest."

"I liked that one about the birds." Kili eyed me and slowed his horse's pace until he was even with Fili and I. "She told us about a folk that could communicate with the wee birds of the forest; they used to live in parts that no man had ever ventured before. Some kind of dark power had come over 'em and threatened their people."

"You always liked ridiculous tales." Fili smirked and turned to me. "He was very fond of getting into trouble and having his head up in the clouds when he was a lad."

"Oi- at least I wasn't enraptured by a _girl_." Kili teased and his brother instantly coaxed Misty to move faster. "That and sword fighting with your poor old guards! I never saw you actually leave the city gates!"

Kili's taunting was cut short to Fili's delight as the sound of rushing Hobbit feet came upon the company.

"Wait! Wait! I've signed it!" Bilbo yelled breathlessly at Balin, careening right up to his pony with the contract wavering in his hand.

"Why indeed you have," Balin smiled warmly at the Hobbit once he had confirmed his signature, "Welcome to the company Mister Baggins! We've saved you a pony."

Thorin averted his eyes and scoffed at Bilbo when he claimed he didn't need a pony, and Fili and Kili immediately hoisted him up onto Myrtle. The Hobbit sat awkwardly in the saddle as if he were afraid the pony were going to buck him right off and proceeded to sneeze. He began searching thoroughly through his jacket for what I could only assume was his handkerchief.

"I must be allergic to all this horse hair... oh dear. Wait! Stop! We must go back. I left my handkerchief at home!" Most of the dwarves shot each other coy glances before they continued forward without giving Bilbo any acknowledgement. _I mean really. Who worries about a handkerchief at a time like this? _

"Here, use this!" Bofur tore a scrap from the bottom of his cloak and threw it back to Bilbo.

"I'm afraid you will have to go without a lot more than just a handkerchief on this journey, Bilbo Baggins." Gandalf told the Hobbit.

A small bag of gold was suddenly thrown from the front of the company into my hands.

Bilbo furrowed his eyebrows together and his coffee-colored eyes sent me a questioning look. "What's that?"

"Gold," Gandalf laughed, "The company took bets on whether you would come or not. It seems Elizabeth had a little faith in you."

* * *

The rest of the day went smoothly and we managed to pass the border of the Shire, wandering on into lands less populated. We did not stop for lunch, which the Hobbit was severely displeased with, but kept right on the steady path. The scenery had been green and pleasurable, and we took a few short breaks to let our ponies drink from nearby creeks and streams.

Night soon begun to creep into the sky as the sun went down, and Thorin ordered the group to stop for the night in a little niche in the side of a mountain. Oin and Gloin worked to get a fire started and soon we were all scattered across the camp site anticipating supper. It seemed safe enough from the plains that stretched below.

I installed myself on a rock nearest to Fili where he had pulled a book from one of his packs and began to read it.

"What's that?" The pages were stained with age and a beautiful script stretched out line after line.

He looked up at me from his reading, a frown washing over his face, and immediately shut his book. "Kili will tell you." He patted his brother's shoulder before removing himself from his seat amongst the stones. _Geez I'd just asked what he was reading._

The young dwarf looked at me with those mahogany-colored eyes of his and smirked. "It's a sensitive subject for Fili. That book is a journal full of letters written to him."

"Letters?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

"From Alana." Kili sighed and settled himself further into the side of the mountain. "They met when we were just children. A rather inseparable pair they turned into. Wherever Fili went when he wasn't at home, Alana was there. I fancy you know where this is going. Either way, as they grew older family duty called, and in an attempt to keep themselves connected they wrote letters back and forth until we left the Blue Mountains to come on this quest. Tragic for him, kind of."

"So that's the girl you were talking about." I yawned as Bombur came to hand us both bowls of some kind of soup.

"Aye. You got a lad like that?" His question startled me and I nearly choked.

"N-no." It came out more of a squeak than anything and I could feel the heat in my cheeks. He seemed to gaze at me with some kind of reverence and a stupid grin was plastered to his face.

"Makes sense." Those were the only words that proceeded from his mouth. _Makes sense? What was that supposed to mean? _I refused to give him the satisfaction of any more of my embarrassment and stuck to eating quietly and looking at the stars. They were much brighter here than anywhere I had ever seen them. The world seemed to stand still as if nothing else existed in the mystifying silence of the night.

And suddenly, a loud, shrill shriek pierced the noiselessness.

"Wh-What was that?!" Bilbo cried across the flames, his face aglow.

"Orcs. The low lands are crawling with them by this time of night." Fili shot a mischievous glance toward Kili.

"They strike at the most unexpected hours when you're asleep. There's no sound, just lots of blood." A grave expression washed over Kili's face and Bilbo curled against the mountain in fear. Even I began to get a little nervous. That sound, echoing off the walls and sounding through the valley below was terrifying, and beyond the light of the fire there appeared nothing but the pitch black veil of shadow. Fili and Kili's faces lit up and they began to snicker.

"You think that's funny?" Thorin's words cut through the air and he turned around to regard his nephews with icy eyes.

"We didn't mean nothin by it." Kili mumbled. The entire camp was overwhelmed with stillness.

"Don't worry lads, we know you didn't." Balin looked up from an apple he persisted on peeling. "We all have a strong cause to hate orcs, Thorin just sometimes more than others. You remember the old tale of Moria."

"Moria?" Bilbo questioned; he had resumed his post beside the fire.

"Ah, yes. Once Erebor was taken, remember we dwarves were left without a home. The next place we looked to was Moria; it was a stronghold almost as fruitful and safe as Erebor had been. With our defeat we traveled there and only found the place to be overrun with orcs, killing our people and claiming what once was ours. Thorin's grandfather, Thrór, died the day we fought for that home."

_Jesus, these dwarves had a tragic past._

"How terrible." I breathed silently, and Balin had nodded in my direction. I found myself suddenly attentive to the mint ribbon on my wrist, and braided my hair to keep it from getting any mousier than it was already beginning to look.

I guessed in a way that the dwarves were like me; they had no home. I was beginning to think that what I had thought was a dream was now a strange reality that I had landed in, and how, I still did not know. After all, I had gone a night and two days without magically reawakening in my bed at home. And now, the only people I knew were the company I traveled with and my only possessions were the clothes Gandalf had bought for me. I pressed the palms of my hands to my eyes in an attempt to stop the tears forming from breaking forth on my cheeks and shivered.

A presence appeared beside me, and I looked up to find Kili giving me another one of his serious looks. He promptly sat down and but his arm around my shoulders as if to comfort me.

"S'okay Lizzie. Get some sleep and don't start worryin' about anything."

That night I slept a long, dreamless sleep.

* * *

**:)**

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**

**Glad everyone seems to be enjoying it! Thanks times a million to all of you! If you've got any questions remember don't hesitate to ask at any point.  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE.**

* * *

I woke to a warm breath on my cheek and an arm wrapped lazily over my frame. My cheek was pressed up against something pleasantly soft that rose steadily up and down, and I could not bring myself to move. The dim glow of daylight shone behind my eyelids and I tried my hardest to block it out, burying my face into whatever- _or whoever_- I leaned up against.

Almost immediately I found myself tumbling to the ground.

"Lizzie! Are you okay? I didn't mean to jump like that! I thought something was on top of me!" Kili quickly moved to help me off the ground and his shouts caused the majority of the lot to wake. Red flashed across my cheeks as it registered that I was sleeping on top of him. _Really, I have to fall asleep on the most attractive man here._ "Did I hurt you?"

"No, no I'm fine. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep like that." I stretched and immediately brought my hands to my hair, which was all quite out of sorts. I probably looked absolutely ridiculous, and with no mirrors around I could do nothing but run my fingers through my waves and hope that the water from the creeks we rested at cleaned the dirt off my face sufficiently.

Kili's eyes went wide for a millisecond before he muffled out a few incomprehensible words. Possibly he was taking note of the fact that I looked unwashed, but then again the entire company of dwarves hadn't looked unsoiled either.

Breakfast consisted of a piece of bread and jam, and of course, a small serving of ham to help hold us over. It was surprisingly filling for the portion and not as uneatable as I might have imagined. Gandalf perched himself on a boulder by himself, smoking his pipe and pouring over the contents of the map as the ponies were saddled, fed, and watered for the day's ride.

"I suppose you'll be ridin' with me today little Lizzie." Bofur smiled and lifted me up into the saddle before clambering up himself. He chuckled and sent a coy look in the direction of Fili and Kili, who were mounted on their ponies at the back of the line. "You sure know how to give quite a disturbance to those two back there. It's best y'let them brood today."

"I didn't mean to trouble them, really I-"

Bofur cut me off with another round of laughter. "Dear, girls their age are sparse around our parts. Don' worry about them."

I caught a sly glance from Fili before turning around to grip onto a clump of the pony's mane. Riding seemed slow and laborious as ever on the second day, and the terrain continued to change. Most of my time was spent stuck in the conversations between Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur, who all enjoyed talking about their time back in the Blue Mountains. Bombur was particularly fond of talking about recipes and how to improve food as we delved deeper into the wilderness.

"If we could just catch a deer," Bombur peered out over the edge of the forest, "we could make a nice stew."

"Oi, Bombur! Quit talking about food or we'll starve by tomorrow!" Gloin groaned gruffly from two ponies ahead.

"Well it's true! If someone could just kill one-"

"Really Bombur." Bofur's voice hummed against my back. "Let's talk about somethin' else. My stomach can't take all yer chatter."

Bombur let our a frustrated breath before securing his mouth shut.

"Why don't you tell me something about the people of Middle Earth since I seem to know so little." I suggested. Bofur seemed to like the idea of a subject change so he gladly obliged my suggestion.

"Let's see... do ye remember that town of Dale I mentioned before?" I nodded against his chest. "Well there used to be somethin' about those people there. They could talk to the animals of the forest and mostly would communicate with a little bird called a thrush. It's said that they were related to the people who lived in the wood long ago..."

* * *

_When the first light washed over Middle Earth, a race inhabited the shade beneath the trees. They were a kind, beautiful sort of people who walked soundlessly and grew no taller than a large berry-bush. Their homes were situated underneath the peppering of light the sun and leaves created and they nourished themselves on the greens and small animals the forest provided. They wore crowns of flowers and clothes of soft cotton and leather and worshiped the wind, the Earth, and the moon.  
_

_One special gift these people were given was the ability to speak the language of animals, and were exceptionally gifted with the speech of the thrush. They would send messages to distant places through the little birds, and were able to discover different people from far and distant places. But these people were quite different from their own kind, so they kept to the wood.  
_

_One day, a man had ventured far and deep into the place where they inhabited. His name was Théodor and he was young and lively, full of spirit and adventure, and very handsome. He came to find these people that the thrushes had spoke to him of; he boasted to be one of the only men that could understand the language of beasts. And he had found what he had been searching years for.  
_

_The people welcomed this stranger into their homes beneath the canopies, and they took quickly to his friendship. Even a fair lass, Florin, who wore her hair long and spent most of her time in the company of woodland creatures and books, found herself falling in love with him. It was said that this union between Théodor and Florin was the beginning of the end of the people of the wood.  
_

_Théodor took her to his home, and the people of Middle Earth saw her in wonderment. So much so that they began to explore for themselves and more and more began to invade on the small race. It was said that the people broke apart and faded into the darkness. But there was never any true indication of what actually happened. Those who were once of the wood were the only ones said to have retained the true story.  
_

_As for Théodor and Florin, their story had only quite just begun...  
_

* * *

Overhead the sky had began to darken and the air indicated the threat of rain. The ponies seemed ill at ease at the sudden change in the heavens, but nevertheless we plodded on. _On and on and on. _The journey proved tiresome and at times boring, I was quite sad Bofur ended his story telling so soon.

Finally, we settled on letting our horses drink from a nearby river as Gandalf had grown weary of the route ahead. He was not sure whether or not we should make for Rivendell one way or the other. Of course, Thorin demanded that we especially did not stop anywhere near where elves inhabited, which was counted as a foolish and unnecessary view by the wizard. However, the outline of the forest had grown quite dark with the assistance of the ever-darkening sky and both could agree that camp should be set up for the night.

My legs were incredibly sore from the long days' travel and I found myself gracious that we didn't have to move another step on horseback. Once again I began to think about the comforts of home- or what used to be home- and why in the world I'd been thrown into Middle Earth. _First off, I'm not even physically fit enough to be here._

"Elizabeth, help Fili and Kili with the ponies." Thorin ordered as he dismounted Minty. I helped lead a couple of the scraggly, tired creatures over to the two brothers who were busy removing the saddles from a few others.

"Thank you lass." Kili took the reigns out of my hands and his chocolate eyes burned into mine. "We missed your company today."

"You should have rode alongside Bombur, Bofur and I. We had some interesting conversations about dinner." I laughed.

"Oh Bombur's _always_ talking about dinner. That's nothing new." Fili smirked and then made a face at his brother. "On another note I didn't know you two had already made sleeping companions out of each other."

My eyebrows contorted and I wanted to smack Fili across the face. _It was an accident, really. Why does he have to point this out? _Out of the corner of my eye I could see Kili send a quick glance in my direction before slapping his brother's shoulder.

"Well in my opinion it's all quite soon! You two have only known each other for two days and I mean usually dwarves don't-"

Abruptly my attention was drawn away from the conversation. "The pony!"

"What about it?" Kili questioned before his eyes grew wide with realization that one of he ponies used to carry supplies was being pulled away in the current of the river. "If you hadn't insisted on being such a halfwit, Fili!"

Before I could decide what to do about the pony floating down the river, Kili had peeled his cloak off of his frame- which looked toned from what I could tell under his clothes- took off his boots, and dove straight into the water. Not far behind was Fili, who carried a rope, shouting at his brother to avoid being washed away by the current.

My eyes shot to the edge of the forest for probably the hundredth time that day. There was something very peculiar about the way the wood looked and even more so the feeling it was giving me.

The wind whispered through the air, and I caught a sound on it, almost as if it were warning _danger._

Kili swam over to the little tan mass and grabbed hold of its saddle, freeing it of the contents weighing down its back. Immediately, Fili threw the rope out for him to catch, but missed and had to chuck it across a second time. At this point my insides were beginning to grow nervous at the thought of Kili adrift down the river. There just wasn't something right about the entire situation.

That's when the current swept the pony away with Kili straight after it. Fili suddenly burst into a sprint down the edge of the water helplessly trying to figure out how to save his brother. There seemed to be no way for him to jump into the water without getting himself caught up in the rushing movement. Kili's shouts filled the air as he made his way over to the pony once again.

I somehow summoned a great deal of bravery I didn't know I had an ounce of, and found myself diving straight into the wild water. _In hindsight, that was incredibly stupid._ Quickly I was heaving and coughing as the flow rushed over my face. There was nothing to grab onto anywhere recognizable except for an overhanging tree a few hundred feet down the river, and I cried to Fili to throw me the rope. He did as he was told, and I struggled to catch it the first two times it was thrown in my direction.

By the third time, my hand caught the rope and, struggling and gasping, I tied it securely around my waist. Kili still hung onto the pony in the middle of the river, stuck where the current butted up against a rock. Barely managing to make my way over, I clung for dear life onto Kili.

"We're going to have to leave the pony!" I yelled over the rough waters, but I only received a stubborn look in return.

"What are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed out here!" He relinquished his grip on the horse and his eyes cut into mine sharply.

"There's no time to argue. I'm trying to _save_ you for goodness sake!" Fili was beginning to pull on the rope around my waist. Kili finally gripped onto me and pushed with all his force out into the river where we floated swiftly down to the tree. We both held on with all our might until another dwarf was able to come assist Fili in dragging us in. Once we were on the riverbank soaking wet, Fili rushed to our side to make sure we were both okay. Aside from coughing up a few bouts of water and some bruises, both of us were fine.

"We are going to end up short two members of our company if you both keep up at this rate." Fili grimaced as he glanced at a nasty bruise beginning to form on my forearm. "And now we're short a pony."

The truth was, we didn't know who had let the pony get into the water in the first place. _Neither did__ I even know what overtook me and caused me to jump in. _One minute the pony was in the water and the next Kili had gone in after it. Under the watch of both of the brothers' gazes, I rose abruptly and started to make my way back to where it had been determined we would be camping.

"Elizabeth-" Kili called, catching my wrist, "Thank you. But you really should leave the rescuing to someone else. I'd rather you not get hurt."

My eyes scanned over his features, which softened under my gaze. "You're welcome."

This time, I made my way back to the others without being stopped. Most of the dwarves wondered why I had come back sopping wet and frowned at the fact that we had lost our pack pony, which carried mostly food and other various goods. Bombur particularly, with his love of food, did not like the river's consumption of his dinner.

* * *

**To answer a quick question, I won't directly address whether Lizzie is a fairy or whatever she might be yet. You will find out in time, but I will tell you that she is a pretty special girl with some cool abilities she doesn't know about yet :)**

**Also, the story title might be subject to change when I figure a nicer one out... there are too many "An Unexpected..." ones and I just kind of couldn't really think of a decent one when I wanted to put it out.**

**Either way, I'm pretty fond of Lizzie and Kili's little tension moments. They've got a bit going :) I want to point out too that after the whole river incident Kili is overwhelmed with a great feeling to protect Lizzie (and he doesn't know why he feels this way yet). I thought I would point it out since the story is just from her point of view and all and we don't get to see much into Kili's mind.  
**

**And last but not least, I love you all. Really.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX.**

* * *

_Théodor grew up a small and scrawny young boy before a gaping lake. His eyes shone as wide and blue as the waters on a sunny day and his hair mirrored the dark black-brown of the loamy soil in which his parents grew their vegetables. He possessed no birth right to any lands or any crown, but he paid no mind to the poverty of his family. After all, he was a boy who could speak to the birds.  
_

_For months in his free time the young boy would sit on the banks of that great lake waiting for the birds to bring him messages. They would speak to him of the weather, far and distant places, and of a beauty no man had lain eyes on. His fascinations drove his parents into worry while they thought he only made up fantasies about speaking with creatures. They no longer allowed him to sit by the lake.  
_

_It was then that he took to reading books about maps and fighting anything that moved with a wooden sword. His dreams never consisted of anything shy of adventure, and this boy turned to man. Handsome and charming he was, but his thirst for the new world and danger caused some to label him foolish.  
_

* * *

I watched Bofur with curious wide eyes. The morning sun glimmered radiantly over our fellowship and the crisp hint of summer swirled around us. A week passed since the pony incident and the fog of hopelessness lifted. The woods brought to us foods we were deficient in and the promise of Bofur's story kept my ill at ease mind at bay. Bilbo remained the only one wrought with longing for his own cozy lodgings back in the Shire.

"Oi, why'd you stop?" I took a small bite out of the oats Nori concocted for breakfast. I had become incredibly interested and connected to his tale. For what reason, I couldn't say.

"Calm down little lass," Bofur chuckled, "I've got to eat too. Where was I? Oh..."

* * *

_As the people grew wary of Théodor, his mother and father insisted that he take up an apprenticeship with a blacksmith to distract him from his wonder. The man named Isaac known for making splendidly beautiful weapons took him under his wing, but what most did not know was that he too had a longing to venture beyond the shores of the lake. Théodor only grew worse.  
_

_A few months after his long toils at the anvil he took to the woods, journeying away from the lake town. And all the while the thrush still sat at his shoulder directing him and telling him narratives of a place untouched by any man. He wandered for many a day without direct sunlight or a certain path, only following the words of the birds.  
_

_On the fifty-sixth day of the third year, he reached a clearing in the forest bottom, covered in soft leaves and what appeared to be small homes. Tired and smothered in dirt, he thought he half-imagined what lay before him. There were small people, stunning in their stature and lovely faces. Clothed in soft, earthen colors, they fit into their surroundings perfectly.  
_

_The first creature of this race he came face-to-face with called herself Florin. Her almond-shaped eyes reflected the colors of the sky and the forest, and her hair golden sun-kissed bronze. She wore a wreath of flowers around her head and a little robin perched himself on her shoulder. At the sight of this girl, he no longer felt the desire to explore the unbounded earth.  
_

_She stared up at Théodor timidly, "Many moons have you been searching at the will of the thrush; he speaks of your presence."  
_

* * *

Our long hike down into the valley that day finally ended when we reached what appeared to be a dilapidated, burned farm house.

"We'll rest here for the night! It looks like a fine place." Thorin called as he dismounted his pony and leaned up against one of the few planks still intact. Such a dismal, gloomy place didn't appeal greatly to the dwarves, but they were all incredibly tired, and so was I.

"I think it would be wise to continue on, something is not right about this place. We could find comfort in the valley and Elrond would welcome us warmly." Gandalf advised Thorin, and he only received a perturbed look from the dwarf king.

"I would not journey there even on my death bed." His words extended cold and relentless.

"Your stubbornness will never get you into the mountain. We have a map that we cannot read and Elrond could help us." Shooting Thorin a look of irritation, the old wizard hastily made his way for the woods.

"Where are you going?" Thorin boomed after him.

"To seek the company of the only one here who has any sense!"

From over the dusty saddle of Myrtle, Bilbo peeked his eyes. "Who's that?"

"Myself!" And with that, Gandalf disappeared from our vision into the vast abyss. Bilbo instantly grew nervous at the fact the wizard left him with the group of dwarves, asking if he would return.

"Fili, Kili, you two watch the ponies." Thorin ordered, and the others began scrambling about to begin setting up for the night ahead. I decided to follow the two off to the side out into the wood with the pack instead of remaining back at the camp. Bilbo seemed nervous as ever and Thorin's mood was dampened by Gandalf's outburst. Most of the dwarves had taken to silence.

I nestled myself down on a bed of soft pine straw beside a tree in front of Kili, looking up at the first star peeking through the waning light. Fili tied the last of the ponies up and stationed himself lazily at the other side of the wooded area.

Kili's soft brown eyes fell upon my face. "What're you doin' out here?"

"I dunno really. Mostly getting away. Thought I might help with watching the ponies." I let my hair down and frowned at how dirty I had become. Going without a bath for long periods of time wasn't exactly my forte. _Neither was going on adventures with strange men._

"You know you don't have to. Fili and I can handle it. You need to rest." A hint of genuine concern washed over his face for a minute.

"I'm fine, really." I sighed and stood up only to plop myself right next to the handsome young dwarf.

"Lizzie if you fall asleep on me again-" He began and I blushed. It was the first time he'd actually made a mention to the first night when I'd fallen asleep with his arm around me. _Jesus... I was cuddling_ _him_. "I won't really be doing my job."

"I'm not going to, there's just a chill out." I scoffed at him and he put his arm around me as if it were his second nature. I had to hide the fact that the red pigmentation in my face hastily worsened. I wasn't used to having such attractive males willingly touch me. _God, that sounded so wrong._ A warmth spread over my body and, as cheesy as it sounds, electricity filled his touch at my side.

"Did I ever tell you Fili's next in line to be king after Thorin?" His voice cut through the brisk air. A small cloud of fog appeared in front of his face where his breath met the wind.

"No...? I knew Fili was older but I didn't think of it." I could feel him shift around before his grip on my waist slid me a little closer.

"He's been worried about it ever since we started out on this quest. If anything were to happen to Thorin he'd be in command and he doesn't know what in the world to do with the idea. Most nights he just sits kind of quiet, reading over that book." His gaze shifted to his brother, leaning up against a tall fir with his back facing the ponies. "He'd have to give up _everything_."

The idea hung daunting in my mind. Really, the fact of the matter was the young dwarf prince would have to stop his life sooner or later to become king, but he had just ventured beyond the Blue Mountains for the first time. In the week I experienced Fili's actions, he and his brother were hardly seasoned.

Fili turned in our direction only to send a wink at his brother, and the conversation diverted quickly. "Next time we stop we'll teach you a thing or two about fighting, Lizzie."

I nodded against his shoulder, and couldn't help but to think back to the book Fili carried around with the letters in it. "Alana- back in the Blue Mountains- what would happen to her?"

I sensed his eyes on the top of my head and he played with the fringe of my cloak. "I don't know. It's hard to say if Erebor is reclaimed and Fili king. It's certain that he will not love another as long as he lives because we bond to those we love forever."

I found myself squirming out of his grasp and watching him with wide eyes. "_Forever?_"

"It's naturally how dwarves are. Once we meet the one we love there's nothing to stop it, and it will never end." Kili still toyed with the outlining of my cloak before his hand brushed against mine and returned under his arm. "Once we meet that one, we know it."

"That's _intense._"

Fili's voice suddenly echoed through the trees. "Is that a light over there in the distance?"

Our attention was directed in the area his finger pointed, and indeed, there was a light flickering against its now dark surroundings. It could not have been the rest of the company since they were situated not far beyond us in the clearing. I stood up and peered around the best I could without beginning to approach the foreign sight.

"Quickly Lizzie, go tell the others." Kili whispered, pushing me forward with his hand on the small of my back.

My legs carried me back into the clearing where everyone had deposited themselves, eating dinner. Some sort of stew had been cooking and conversation was deep; clearly no one had been paying too much attention to the lights in the distance.

"Look! There's a light in the distance!" I hissed, trying not to raise my voice so as to alarm whoever had made their camp not far from ours. If it were something or someone who didn't like us much I certainly wasn't ready to fight. It actually terrified me.

"Indeed there is. Who would be in these woods at this time? This is a path not many are willing to travel." Thorin spoke, rising to his feet. The others began to catch on and murmured to each other silently.

"I suppose someone might check it out." Bilbo suggested, holding three bowls of stew which I had supposed were for Fili, Kili and I.

"_Yes_, someone should go find out who it is. Bilbo, you're our burglar. This should be your first job!" Nori insisted. The others seemed to like the idea.

"But I-" Bilbo started.

"Nori is right. Bilbo, you are small and light-footed, and you will go unrecognized." Thorin stated, and it was decided. Bilbo was given a push out in the direction of the fire and the dwarves stayed back. _He was going to get himself killed._

When Bilbo disappeared into the darkness, the company began hurriedly plundering their packs for weapons. Not knowing what to do in the confusion, I found myself dragging Fili and Kili from the ponies and standing among the bustling dwarves.

"It might be your time to fight, little lass." Fili spoke softly, pressing two jeweled blades that looked like small, dangerous knives into my hands. They were beautifully crafted and delicate, with fine ivory handles encrusted with rubies and scrolled with various carvings. My knees buckled under my weight, and I knew. The wind whispered once again in my ear.

* * *

**I'm kind of really enjoying this Middle Earth back story lore Bofur is telling, so I'm rolling with it (and they're actually relevant to finding out more about Lizzie). It's like a little mini story within a story :) You can probably tell I really love his character too since I include him a little more than the others, but he's just so charming! But let me know if y'all like the stories so I can determine how much I want to include sliced into chapters here and there.  
**

**And we get a little intense talk between Kili and Lizzie :) Maybe he feels something she's not catching onto, eh? But no matter, I feel like they're gonna need a little talk in a few chapters!  
**

**Love you all for your support and kindness!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN.**

* * *

We rushed forward under the moonlight, pressing ourselves to the shadows made by the trees. My heartbeat multiplied tenfold in my chest and my palms began to sweat as I gripped the ivory handles of the knives Fili gave me moments earlier.

Hiding stealthily in the shadows was _definitely_ not a skill of mine. I tripped over several roots and rocks that shot up from the ground, and most of the dwarves turned to give me a stern scowl at my blunders. Kili grabbed my arm and pushed me up against the tree, pressing his forefinger over his mouth. In a normal situation, I might have flushed with color at his closeness, but I was too afraid out of my own mind to react.

"What _are_ you?" An unfamiliar, quite loud voice rang through the woods. My body froze.

"I-I'm a burgle- a Hobbit." Bilbo squeaked. Kili's eyes widened as he peeked around the tree and mouthed _trolls_. The only trolls I'd ever heard of were supposed to be big, nasty things that lived under bridges. A lump formed in my throat and my mouth went dry. _What in the hell was happening?_ His hand dropped from my arm and went to the sword at his belt. All around us the slow sound of metal being silently unsheathed cut through the forest.

"A burgle-hobbit? How many more 'o you are there 'round here?" Another voice boomed curiously.

"N-none. I'm the only one." Bilbo responded. _Thank God, maybe they would buy-_

"I say he's lying. Hold 'is toes o'er the fire!" The one that had spoken first cried.

Kili abruptly left my side, breaking through the brush and out from behind the trees. "Drop him!"_ Oh God, he's going to get himself killed._ I couldn't say I fancied Kili- or any other dwarf really- getting himself flattened for Bilbo at that moment. Yelling and clashing of swords erupted through the night air, and even though my legs insisted on being jelly, I raced along with all of the others bursting through the clearing.

The trolls were massive creatures with twisted faces and clumsy stature, and boy did they _stink_. Scattered with the bones of various animals, the entire area hailed to be a mess unlike any proportion I'd ever seen. The one that previously held Bilbo captive in his large hand dropped him onto Kili and the two struggled to untangle themselves from each other on the ground. Complete and utter chaos surrounded the large campfire the creatures once sat about; dwarves ran to and fro about their legs and swung their swords at any chance they could strike flesh while the trolls yelped and tried their hardest to knock any of us off of our feet.

I caught myself frozen under one of the giants, staring at the blades in my hands like I'd forgotten exactly how weapons actually worked. Thankfully, the oaf fell behind me while Thorin proceeded to crack out some of its teeth.

"_Lizzie_," Thorin hissed, "now would be the time to put those to use!"

Just like I'd seen before in the scenes of some drastically intense movie where great battles were fought, I remembered how to use a knife. The animalistic instinct inside of me drove a blade into the foot of another troll who passed close, and I sent him crying mad. I couldn't begin to fathom what I'd just done as my insides were rushing in terror. Through the flinging of arms and weapons, he snapped me up into his hand and sent a glare straight into my face.

"An' what's _this_? I ain' never seen the likes 'o a little lass like this before." He eyed me and picked up one of my arms as if searching for something. "What a _fancy_ little creature from the forest. Bert! Look wha' I got!"

Unfortunately, his companion called Bert dropped his attention from the fighting dwarves at his feet and directed his bug eyes at me. "_What is that, William?_"

"No matter wha' she is, she'd not even make half a meal!" The third one grasped Bilbo in his tremendous hand.

"Put her down!" Kili flew at the group of trolls, but they retaliated quickly.

"Drop your weapons or we'll rip their limbs off!"

The pack of dwarves stopped dead behind Thorin, all of them refusing to relinquish their weapons. Kili worked his way back to the group, never once turning his back on the beast, where all of them stood brooding silently until Thorin raised his own sword and drove it into the ground. Hesitantly but obediently, the rest of them followed suit, and stood in the firelight now completely helpless against the trolls. I wanted to yell at them for being so stupid and letting go of their weapons for perhaps the two most useless members of their company. _Certainly in the long run it would not matter if I died. And if Bilbo were lost, well-_

"Where are the bags an' the roastin' spit?" William, with his hand around my tiny frame laughed before he flung me onto the ground where Thorin's sword lay.

I landed rather uncomfortably with a thump and quickly Kili rushed to my side to help me from the ground. Not but a second after he'd pulled me up had the trolls put us in sacks with drawstrings tied roughly around our shoulders, and thrown us into a pile. Conveniently, for me at least, I ended up on top of Bombur and between Kili and Bilbo. Bofur, Nori, Ori, Dori, Oin, and Gloin did not possess as much luck as we had, and were roasting over the fire on the spit the troll named Bert turned.

If the odor the camp reeked of was offensive, even more disgusting and wretched were the sacks we'd been tied in. I had to keep myself from gagging right on top of poor Bombur while the others struggled without success to free themselves from their bindings.

"Oi, why don't you hurry up? I don' fancy bein' turned to stone." The one who'd picked me up- William- complained, hitting Bert on the shoulder.

Bilbo's face glazed over with some sort of sense of knowing and he struggled to hop to his feet. "Wait!"

"They're half-wits, you can't reason with them!" Ori yelled from the spit where I'd imagined they'd all been getting dangerously hot. Each of them wriggled like live fish out of water, desperately trying to somehow slip from the rope.

"Let 'im talk." William leaned over and peered at Bilbo, who was fidgeting nervously as he stood.

"You see, that's not the way to cook a dwarf. You're doing it all wrong!" Each of us still on the ground shot confused looks at one another.

"Then how do you 'spose we do it?" All of his attention now focused on the Hobbit. Bert scoffed, and the other one who's name we'd figured was Tom, began rummaging through a pile of bones around the edge of the fire.

"Well the secret is to..." Bilbo trailed off while all three seemed to wait on his answer impatiently, "to... skin them!"

A rumble of moans broke from the spit and where we lay among each other in sacks, and several shouts of '_traitor!'_ and '_betray_e_r!'_ shot through the air.

"Tom, get the filletin' knife!" William bellowed. A wide and very pleased smile danced across his face.

"Oh, I can't wait much longer, I say we eat 'em raw! Nice an' crunchy they'll be!" Bert clambered his way over to the pile of us resting up against the rock, and I began to scoot wildly in the direction furthest away from him as possible. Kili somehow caught my sack with his arm and tried his hardest to flip me away from the approaching troll, who madly grabbed into the lot of us and pulled Bombur up by his feet. Luckless Bombur's ginger beard hung upside down as he squirmed in Bert's grasp, dangling just above his mouth.

"N-not that one!" Bilbo cried, hopping closer to the trolls, "He's infected! H-He's got worms... in his... tubes!"

Bert released out a disgusted roar- if it were actually possible for the vile creatures to _be_ disgusted- and instantly sent Bombur tumbling right back onto the heap he came from.

"I-in fact, they're all infected! I wouldn't mess with the lot of them!" Bilbo's accusations had the entire group of dwarves reeling with insult.

"I don't have worms, _you_ have worms!" Kili's expression was one of complete disdain toward the Hobbit. At this point Thorin understood what Bilbo was trying to play, as the sun barely began to rise just over the hill. He took a moment to knee Kili in the back and all of our expressions turned eager with new found realization.

"Oh, yes I've got lots of worms! Probably more than you could even count!" I cried, wriggling around in my sack. The tie around my shoulders just began to loose.

"Mine are as big as my arm!" Balin called.

"I've got _huge_ parasites! Mine are the biggest!" I couldn't help but to let out a snicker at Kili's desperate voice.

"An' what would you 'ave us do then, let 'em all go?" William sneered at Bilbo.

"Well-"

"He means t' take us for fools!" Tom wailed, unsheathing what looked like a very large makeshift filleting knife.

As the sun now rose decently in the sky, a shadow burst forth across all of us, and Gandalf appeared high on a rock above the camp. "The dawn will take you all!"

Gandalf brought his staff down upon the huge rock, cracking it in half and revealing the inkling of sunlight that began to wash over the sky. Bert, William, and Tom riled and shaded their faces from the sun, wailing and cursing the lot of us. Their bodies became stiff and turned the dusky grey color of stone before they were completely immersed in sunlight. I let out a long sigh of relief since we weren't going to be turned into troll dinner. Indeed, it would have been an anticlimactic ending to our journey after all.

* * *

**Alright,** **shorter than the other chapters, but more of a movie plot-following filler. I've got quite a bit to cover in the next chapters so I just figured I'd separate this from the others. I've got a lot of material to pull out of my hat, because I will be following the book and making my company stay in Rivendell for more than one night. Anyway, love you all, and your reviews. Reviews make my world go round :)  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT.**

* * *

When we all cut each other loose from our bindings, we found ourselves quite happy to be alive, and greatly thankful for Bilbo's wit. If he didn't realize Bert, William, and Tom would have quite the trouble with their gullibility, we probably would have been cooking in some sort of stew. Everyone, except for Thorin with his _too-majestic-for-you_ attitude, made a great effort to thank him for his quick thinking. At least he had determined _something_ about himself that could be useful at times.

"You are lucky Bilbo had the smarts to keep the trolls at bay until sunrise." The old grey wizard puffed his pipe and tapped petrified Tom on the ankle as if to confirm he could not move. He then shot Thorin a pointed look, "And I suppose you only had nothing but the gumption to wriggle in your burlap."

Thorin, in his prominent displeasure, turned to face Gandalf with a straight expression. "Tell me Gandalf, _where_ did you go?"

"Ah- looking ahead. The path is quite treacherous from here." The wizard casually leaned on his staff.

"And what brought you back?"

"The king behind."

Thorin seemed pleased enough with his answer, and the hint of an arrogant smile passed across his face.

"Oi, there must be some kind of troll hoard around here since they would have needed shelter from daylight." Fili suggested as he raked through a few bushes. He had taken to rooting around the camp looking for anything he could find, like most of the other dwarves.

"Aye," Gloin agreed, and the bunch joined in consensus at the probability of a hidden stash somewhere. In excitement and eagerness, they all looked to Gandalf as if he knew more about the whereabouts of a concealed cave than they did. By this point in our journey, even though it had been barely over a week, I understood the value of a trove of treasure to a dwarf. So naturally, I was not surprised at their thrilled expressions when Bilbo popped into view to point in the direction of a door he found leading into the earth.

"Over here!" The Hobbit called, "There is a door, but I believe it's locked!"

Gandalf followed Bilbo's voice and came face-to-face with the door before the lot of us. It appeared more old and decrepit than it actually was, mostly due to the poor hygiene and lack of care the trolls inflicted upon the entrance. With every attempt, the grey-bearded man could not force it to budge. No spell existed that he knew by memory could cause the lock to give way.

"This is quite the tricky lot. Trolls dealing with an enchanted door like this is very strange." He emitted a quick ring of smoke into the air and fixed himself on a stump. No one made a move for several more minutes in an effort to pry the door open.

Bilbo suddenly jumped from his resting point. "Oh! What about this key?" He pulled a large, rusted latchkey from his pocket and in turn earned a few groans from his audience, "When the trolls were busy with you all I found it by the fire. Naturally I forgot I had it in my pocket when we'd been apprehended..."

I jumped to my feet, felt the sensation of my clothes clinging to the sweat of my body, and snatched the key from his hands. My impatience (and everyone else's) erased any polite notion from my mind and there wasn't another minute I was going to wait for Bilbo to open the door. The sun now beamed down almost in the middle of the sky, and even I could feel that we wasted precious daylight each moment we remained by the troll hoard.

I pulled with all my might and even tried pushing with my weight a time or two, but with the key turned and mighty entrance unlocked, my small body could not manage to bring the door to move, and the dwarves had erupted in laughter. I glowered at them and Gandalf gave me a warm smile, and I could tell that even his eyes were chuckling at my puny state. _Perhaps it was because of all the years I chose not to participate in any sort of physical activity that I brought this upon myself._

Gandalf gently waved me aside and promptly tugged the door open, very easily compared to my struggle, and an indescribable foul stench filled the air. A cough erupted from my mouth and my hands flew to my nose. Obviously, the sacks and unidentifiable bones weren't the last of our torture.

"In the name of Thrór, what is that _horrible_ smell?" Balin choked before he backed further away from the entrance.

With his head tucked into the door frame, Gandalf's eyes searched the cave. "This is a troll hoard, not a Hobbit hole. You won't find pretty things down here."

With my nose still covered, I followed Gandalf down into the dark recesses, scanning for anywhere I could possibly step without crunching on something dead. This place was _far_ beyond my germaphobe threshold. Bilbo proved the most reluctant to enter anywhere near the vicinity of the hole the trolls had made for themselves, and only stumbled in after everyone else due to a firm shove from Gloin. _Wuss._

"Be careful what you touch." Gandalf warned and lit his staff, which reflected off of a pile of gold, swords, and rusted armor.

He didn't have to worry- I didn't plan to touch _anything_ in that nasty hole.

Bifur, Gloin, and Nori particularly took interest in the gold and proceeded to dig madly in the dank floor of the cave so they could bury it.

I stopped to give them my best quizzical look before Bilbo stumbled into my back. "What the heck are you doing?"

"Making a long term investment!" Gloin offered while the other two nodded and continued to dig with their bare hands. "Where's the spade?"

To stumble upon this place again for a small pile of coins after reclaiming all the treasures held in Erebor seemed like a ridiculous idea, and I rolled my eyes and snorted in amusement. My legs took me deeper and deeper down into the darkness still behind Thorin and Gandalf, who were now distracted by an old pile of swords, and I caught a glimpse of something smooth and dark snaking through the dead leaves covering the floor.

And that's exactly what it was- a bloody _snake_ of all things.

Now anyone that knew me particularly well would know that my fear of snakes extended far beyond pretty much any other fear I possessed. The thought of _anything_ wriggling, slithering, and fanged that creeped around my feet terrified me. My breath hitched in the back of my throat and prevented me from screaming, and I stumbled backwards, almost to trip right over Bilbo.

The little Hobbit, who still managed to appear stately even under his dirt and grime, fell rearward onto the bed of leaves. "Ouch! Careful, Lizzie!"

His hand traced the dirt and leaves to prop himself up and caught on something beneath the natural jumble. Bilbo fumbled around before pulling something that resembled a sword- a very small one at that- out from underneath himself. The hilt was bound in a fine black leather and was sheathed in what looked like a sturdy animal skin. When he unsheathed it, the blade was of fine work that I'd never seen before.

Gandalf reached over Bilbo's curly light brown locks to take the sword from his hand and examine it himself. The old wizard's brow creased while he thought before handing it back to him. "You should keep it, it's a fine blade of elven make. You could not wish for a finer blade and I'm afraid you will probably need one." He paused, pulled Bilbo to his feet, and put his hand on the Hobbit's shoulder. "But remember, sometimes courage is knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one."

Both of their attention quickly left Bilbo's find to Thorin, who had uncovered what looked like a collection of much larger elven blades. Knowing that they were crafted by his self-proclaimed enemy, Thorin refused to touch any of them. Gandalf muttered something about Thorin's pride and stubbornness before Bilbo found himself enamored by his new discovery and I turned back to the dim outcropping.

From the dark came a voice that seemed to whisper with the rustling of the ground beneath our feet. "_And where is yours?_ _You have yet to find your worthy gift, earth-bound."_

My eyes darted to the others, who seemed deaf to what I'd heard; they remained on about their business. I shook my head in confusion. _Maybe the troll stench got to my senses._ Nothing else presented itself to be alive in the cave except, well, _the snake_. It positioned itself curiously near the wall, with its beady dark eyes peering up at me.

"_Or perhaps, moon-daughter, there is a treasure here for you that is not tangible_."

_Oh Jesus, _the snake was talking to me. One part of me was fascinated, and the other thought I was completely crazy.

"_Perhaps there is wisdom here for you, or a love, or a tale of your past. You come so far from whence you came._" Its tongue darted from its mouth and it curled its body around the old remains of what looked like a rotting miniature chest which the lock had rusted off long ago.

"W-wha-" I sputtered, but the snake hushed me before I could continue my incoherent sentence.

"_Take the chest, it has waited on you for many moons._" And in the blink of an eye, it had slithered back into the cover of the shadow without a trace of its path.

I reached down and grabbed the weathered wood to find that it almost crumbled in my fingers.

"_Lizzie!_ We've got to move on and get out of this place! Come on!" Kili's distinct masculine voice rang over the walls of the cave. Suddenly my shock and distraction vanished and I pressed the small box close against my chest as I became eager to exit the dirty troll hoard once again.

No one seemed to take notice of my acquisition as we all stepped out into the fresh air and daylight since they rushed to their ponies to pack them with the various things they'd found. Ori and Nori troubled themselves with a pile of pots and pans made of pure gold, Gloin with what looked like an elven axe, the two brothers Fili and Kili with the swords Thorin had found, and finally Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur brought out herbs that had been stowed away for use as cooking spices.

As we packed, I had no intention of opening my box for some reason I did not know, and I handed it to Kili to put on his pony for safekeeping. He gladly obliged before he pulled me up onto my usual spot in the saddle in front of him.

"What's in the box?" He asked as Daisy began to trot along underneath us.

"I'm not sure... I haven't opened it yet." I sighed as the promise of rain threatened overhead. Only four days since we left had been sunny, and I was tired of being drenched from head to toe on a regular basis. My clothes were becoming a sepia hue from the dirt and I felt like I desperately needed a bath. "I just kind of uh- grabbed it as we were going out."

I didn't exactly feel like explaining that I took it because a snake told me to. He would probably think Bofur's stories and my general exhaustion had gotten to my head. I was beginning to think maybe even everything _had _gotten to my head.

Not long after we'd found our way but a few feet down from the entrance of the troll hoard, the sound of fast approaching feet- some sort of animal I guessed- echoed through the woods. The company erupted in shouts and disengaged from their horses so they could draw their swords from their holsters. Gandalf instantly went bounding to Thorin, asking if he'd told anyone of his quest.

"I-I've told no one I swear! What is the meaning of this?" For once, the dwarf king let a look of distress pass over his features.

And then breaking through the underbrush and low branches of the surrounding forest came what looked like a makeshift wooden bobsled attached to some of the largest rabbits I'd ever seen. A goofy looking aged man in robes the color of the woods called them to a stop and barely managed to keep from running our ponies over. My first thought when he burst into the clearing was, _my God, what is he on_? His eyes gleamed wide and fearful and his beard and hair were a wreck.

"Radagast?" Gandalf stepped forward to the man and put his palm on his shoulder. "Radagast the brown what are you doing out so far?"

Kili and I exchanged bemused glances before Radagast spoke.

"I've been searching all over for you! I came to tell you-" He paused for quite an awkward interval, "Well, It was on the tip of my tongue... Oh! Wait..."

His eyes widened and his mouth remained open, as if he had become frozen. Gandalf furrowed his eyebrows and then moved to pull one of those nasty stick-looking bugs right from Radagast's mouth. I almost gagged and had to avert my sight to the stump beside Daisy. Wherever this man had come from, it had to be one of the _weirdest_ recesses of Middle Earth.

"It was nothing at all, just a silly stick insect!" Radagast laughed and Gandalf placed the bug into his hand.

_But really, what was he on?_

"Now Radagast, was there something you were meaning to tell me?"

The wizard looked stunned, as if his train of thought had been broken again. His face darkened before his voice seemed to drop to a hushed tone as if the forest eavesdropped on his words. "There's a darkness moving over the eastern lands. Monstrous creatures came out of the Dol Guldur, where a _necromancer-_" He said the word in such a tone that made most of us shudder, "-has taken up residence."

"A _necromancer_? Are you sure?" Gandalf questioned him with guarded carefulness.

Radagast nodded and glanced about the forest. "It's best we don't speak about it here. We should move to the east where Elrond's walls will bring us safety. I know most of all of the foul ears around these wood."

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**A/N**: Some pretty sneaky things are starting happen around Middle Earth... _hmm_. :)

More plot heavy and not so Kili-centric, I know, but give them a break, they're constantly bombarded by adventure and wonder! When things settle down a bit we might see some romantic development. But in the mean time, hope you're enjoying the ride.

Love and appreciate you all, without a doubt.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE.**

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At last, Rivendell towered before us, gleaming in the pure grandeur of the morning. Set in a valley with the backdrop of many flowing waterfalls, it proved to be one of the most beautiful sights in Middle Earth. The journey had not been much further from where we'd crossed paths with the trolls and my aching body was glad for it.

The company oozed tiredness and scorn; not even the excitement of their finds could keep them from scowling when we came into elven territory. Thorin was the worst, with his judging steel blue eyes and biting words of how the elves were traitors. It seemed that no matter how many times he expressed his hate for the elves, he felt that it was not quite enough nor often enough. It didn't help much that the other dwarves felt some of the same hatred for the elves as he did.

According to the story of Erebor with all that dragon business, I didn't_ blame_ Thranduil for not wanting his people to die_._

When we had crossed over the thin, stone bridge leading into Rivendell, our presence certainly did not go unnoticed by the elves. Many of them stood around in the archways of the wooden structures they were housed in, whispering amongst themselves in a tongue that only Gandalf could understand. They watched us with weary eyes and especially pointed their long fingers in my direction, as if a female among a group of travelers was a rarity. _They sure knew how to make a girl uncomfortable._

"Mithrandir." The voice of a man taller and fairer than any other I'd lain my eyes upon resounded over the whispers of his people. "What brings you so far into my lands with thirteen dwarves, a hobbit, and a _taur-gwen_? Not to mention Radagast not a mile behind."

Gandalf strode to the front of the company, and immediately I was pushed back by the dwarves as if they attempted to hide me from the man's eyes. My mind traveled to his speech and I knitted my eyebrows in confusion at his words. _Taur-gwen? What the hell did that mean?_ Kili rested a strong hand on my shoulder and pulled me firmly to his side before he shot me a look of concern.

"Elrond, we were traveling on the eastern road when we met Radagast. He brought word of a necromancer and would not speak of it anywhere but here." The king of elves seemed to consider Gandalf's words before he nodded in our general direction. He spoke something in a foreign tongue that none of us except the old grey wizard could understand, and the dwarves instantly assumed his words were insults.

"Does mean he t'give us insult?" Gloin drew his axe from his back and began to shake it angrily before the rest of the company followed suit.

"Aye, he won't speak in our own tongue!" Dwalin roared. I was barely able to break away from Kili's grasp in order to tug on the fringe of Dwalin's overcoat to keep him from charging. I didn't have a mind to be taken in as a prisoner of these people for a stupid grudge. Heck, it wasn't even _my_ grudge.

"Master Gloin, he is offering you dinner." Gandalf shot us all a stern look that sent the dwarves quiet in their own bafflement. I stifled a laugh into my hand while the rest of them nodded to each other with dazed looks still apparent on their faces. They didn't expect those who they assumed were their enemies to treat them with such hospitality and it had thrown them off guard. I was not surprised the elves had not held them with the same regard.

Once the company had settled from their fluster, we were lead up a great staircase to one of Elrond's chambers. Like the rest of the structures in Rivendell, it followed a very open-air concept, and the landscape could be seen for miles around from the great table resting upon the balcony. Elves rushed to and fro, bringing us all sorts of vegetables and wines (which did not please the company, of course) as we began to seat ourselves. I somehow ended up at the end of the table next to Kili and across from his brother, who would not take his smouldering blue eyes off of my face.

"Do you think they have any chips?" Ori whispered loudly across the table, clearly displeased with the lettuce on his plate.

"Where's the meat?" Bombur's eyes darted over the table.

"I don't think elves really eat meat." Balin frowned.

A final groan of dissatisfaction erupted from the dwarves before they attempted to tackle what had been given to them. I wasn't much of a salad kind of girl either, but it seemed much easier to put my leafy greens down than the entire group. I'd especially taken to the white wine they'd poured in all of our cups, and I began to become delightfully dizzy.

"You shouldn't really be drinking much of that Lizzie." Fili pulled my cup across the table. "Elvish wine will put a girl like you out."

I huffed and leaned straight over my plate of food to snatch it back from Fili's grasp. "Oh _please_."

This time it was Kili who took the cup from my hand as I struggled to retain my hold on it. He knitted his brows and sent me a sobering look.

"You two are just no fun." I scoffed as I took a bite of a carrot that had been softly steamed. It proved much more delicious than any meal cooked by Bombur, but maybe it was the cheer from the wine that spiked my appreciation for the food. With each passing day our food supply had ran thinner and thinner, and Bombur wasn't able to use the spices we carried as freely as he would have liked.

"Excuse me, Miss Lizzie?" A light touch rested on my shoulder and I turned around to greet an elf girl that I'd never seen before. Her hair flowed long and shined the color of the golden sun, and her eyes were as blue as the ocean. The sheer delicacy of her figure made her seem as if she would break if touched. "Elrond would like you to speak with him in the morning, if that pleases you."

It was more of a command given by Elrond, but her manners would not allow her to hint at the truth, and I only nodded in agreement.

"Wonder what the elf king wants with _you_." Fili eyed me skeptically.

The elf quickly responded to quell his suspicions. "Only to speak of her home."

She left as quickly as she appeared, and another moment later there was another cup of wine placed in front of me. Neither of the brothers took notice of this fact since they were too intrigued with the notion that Elrond wanted to speak with me, and I took the opportunity to take another huge gulp. The molten gold liquid washed down my throat, warming my insides. It only took one glance from Bofur for him to realize that he too had a responsibility to deprive me of anything that would hinder my thoughts.

"Lass, take it easy, okay?" Bofur smiled and slid a cup of water my way.

At that point, I didn't understand why they had made it such a big deal for me not to drink much wine, but my head swam in and out of thoughts so fast I did not linger on the idea. Everyone had already begun to finish their meal and shifted themselves to where their sleeping mats lay, but I remained at the table drowning in an abyss of memories from my past. My mind flashed back over the fuzzy picture of my mother my mind created, and then to the strange stories Bofur told me on our journey, and to the box still sitting safely amongst Kili's belongings. _That box._

"Lizzie, we told you to watch yourself around that wine." Kili now sat alone with me as the others had left.

I ignored his reprimand and gazed up into his almond-shaped eyes. "That box I gave you, where is it?"

"Safe with the rest of my belongings-" He took my hand and pulled me from my seated position. I ended up stumbling into his chest and my breath hitched in the back of my throat. "-But really you need to get some rest. Don't worry about that silly thing."

I found myself nodding in agreement at his order, unable to focus on the thoughts that fluttered through my head. His hand clasped around mine as he led me to where the others were and I could not help but notice the roughness of his palm and fingers. I quite liked the feeling intertwined against my smooth skin. I hadn't felt it in a long time, but I enjoyed the feeling of a large hand engulfing my own.

When we reached where the others settled down for the night, thanks to Bilbo, my blankets and pillow had been neatly stacked in a corner away from the others. Kili was kind enough not to make me walk the distance by myself in my unsteadiness. He leaned down to help me with my blankets and to take my boots off, and turned his back to join the others at the fire burning in a pit near the edge of the open room.

A sudden fear washed over me- quite apparently caused by my tipsy state- and I did not want to be alone. It was bad enough that I could not join the rest of the dwarves around the fire because I'd had too much elven wine. The courage it gave me brought up my thoughts in my throat.

"Kili?" He turned around and looked at me with wondering eyes. "I-I- can you not leave me?"

Those words sent a blush over his cheeks I had not seen grace them before now and even with half my wits I could tell he quickly fought to hide it. He seemed to be shocked at my outburst, but nevertheless seated himself beside me.

"What am I going to do with you Lizzie?"

I surveyed him and felt a cheeky grin form across my face, glad that he didn't leave me by myself. Bofur and his brothers had begun humming by the fire before everyone else had joined in with their low, melodic voices, to a tune that I'd had the pleasure of hearing them sing before. I scooted closer to capture some of his body heat since the night air had not been too warm, but soon enough gave up and seated myself upright so I could lean into his side. He made no objection but only a small hesitation before resting his arm around my waist as it had done once before.

"You're going to start giving us all ideas that you've got a favorite." Fili's laughter caused my eyes to peel open and I did my best to send him a glare.

I was cold, a little tipsy off of elvish wine, and feeling so very alone in Middle Earth away from my family, so I didn't care. _Maybe I did have a favorite_. Or maybe that was just my head aflutter.

* * *

**A/N:** I just want to give a shout out to Jen for the review! Thank you so much for bringing my attention to Kili and Lizzie's relationship. It's been in the back of my mind that their development has been next to nonexistent and I haven't really addressed it. Trust me, I know this is a Kili/OC so naturally everyone expects just that. I had in mind a more slow-blossoming love. I purposely haven't had them fall in love just yet. Because I mean, they've been on their journey for a little over a week and real love sometimes takes time. I don't want them to be all over each other in just a few days! So I've dropped little hints but nothing major. But anywho, that is now in the forefront of my mind as we get deeper into the plot ;) I really appreciate your input!

If you guys have any questions that you want me to answer in a more in-depth manner please feel free to shoot me a message on my personal tumblr (_nighttimegalaxies_), which is linked in my profile. I love reviews, but sometimes I can't answer them or thank you properly if you're a guest and that grates at me a little. So if you'd like a direct response, don't hesitate to contact me over there! But by all means, do review. I just want to take this as a moment to express just how _important_ those are to me. I take into account everything you guys say and I try to reflect what you want in my writing. So for all of you lovely little followers out there, WRITE ME! Because I love you. There are now over a hundred of you precious readers, and I am so excited to interact with you as I share my stories.

And as always, I hope you enjoyed!


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN.**

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Night faded with the golden rays of sun peeking over the eastern edge of Middle Earth as fast as I'd let myself fall asleep the previous night. Birds came alive with the promise of daybreak, and in the distance, fawns could be spotted here and there around the water sources not far off in the Valley of Imladris. It proved itself a picturesque sight- The Last Homely House West of the Mountains as Gandalf called it- time and time again. I wondered why there weren't places so beautiful on Earth, _wherever that existed now_.

This was the second time I'd woken up with my head leaned gently against Kili's chest as he breathed slowly and steadily, still in the world of his own dreams. It felt less awkward than the first when he'd sent me tumbling to the ground, and I quickly checked to make sure none of the dwarves were awake. Kili's face, as innocent as it might have looked when he was a little boy, remained peaceful and a hint of a small smile tugged at his lips.

I could have watched that face for hours. God, I was starting to get _creepy_.

Sure, the first time I laid my eyes upon him- and every time after that, mind you- I thought he was probably one of the most handsome men I'd ever seen. He towered just a few inches taller than me with dark features and barely a hint of scruff across his face. _And oh_, that face of his. His jawline was clearly defined, his cheekbones were beautifully structured, and those eyebrows lay perfectly arched above his molten brown eyes. But, it began to strike me that I had more than just an appreciation for this man's prettiness. It was, well- I wasn't sure yet, and the prospect perplexed me.

"Miss Elizabeth?"

The elf that had spoke to me at the table the previous night now loomed over us. Her blue eyes focused curiously on me, perhaps because she thought the fact I was leaning on the dwarf prince queer. That, or because I looked _horrible_ that morning. My hair probably was undoubtedly tangled from sleeping, and I hadn't had a bath since we'd started our journey. I glanced down at my fingernails, caked with dirt.

"Shall I escort you to the high chamber now?" I nodded at the tall, blonde woman. I had forgotten that I was supposed to speak to Elrond, and I suddenly wondered _why_ he would want to talk to me. Nothing particular stuck out about a small girl traveling with a pack of dwarves, except the fact that I was a female. I possessed no great knowledge and wisdom like Gandalf, and _heck_, I barely knew much about our quest.

She held out a hand and helped me up from my spot where Kili still slept in the morning light. The sudden loss of something beside him caused his features to turn into a frown, and he crossed his arms as his eyebrows knitted. I mentally slapped myself for thinking it was cute.

We walked down hallways lined with ornate paintings and carvings that were part of the architecture of Rivendell, past plenty of open spaces that looked out onto the landscape, and by candles mounted in sconces that seemed to have dripped for thousands of years. It became clear that the elves were much more into delicacy and refined art than the dwarven company I traveled with, whose art seemed to be weaponry and storytelling. Strangely enough, I liked the roughness and ruggedness of them much better than the elves. There was something about them that made me feel like I was at home.

Finally, we reached darkly stained wooden doors that stood tall enough that I had to crane my neck to find the top of them. They opened into something that looked like some sort of meeting room (outdoors mostly, of course) with a large round table in the center and flowers spread throughout the room. There were various swords as well as bows and arrows hanging from the walls. I didn't hesitate to recognize the likeness of an elf carved into a stone statue I felt like I'd seen before.

The girl elf left my side at this point, leaving me by myself to the mercy of my surroundings. It was strange, standing there, being in a land that felt so much like a fairytale I could only dream of. I realized I had nothing in this world, and I felt small and insignificant in that moment.

"_Eruest_, daughter of the _tavar_." Elrond emerged from somewhere past a scatter of plants, which led to a balcony that overlooked out over the valley. "You have come in such an untimely manner with such an interesting company of companions."

"I don't understand- "I hesitated for a moment and looked at him completely perplexed. Why the elf king kept insisting on referring to me in some language I couldn't understand, I didn't know. On top of that, it was if he already knew me like I'd been around in Middle Earth before. It was already bad enough that I'd found myself waking up to something that wasn't the old life that I was used to, even if the memories were dull in my mind. I was just little, nobody Elizabeth Woolridge from Brighton.

His eyes, holding a peculiar look, pierced mine and then he extended his hand in front of my own as if the gesture gathered information from me words could not explain. In fact, I wasn't sure how I would even go about explaining that I didn't even know myself how or why I was there.

"The Valar saw it fit to erase your thoughts." He sighed and turned out to look over the scenery. "Once you were a brave daughter of your kind. The first to be born of earth and of man."

I forced my eyebrows together. _Born of earth and man?_ I didn't know what he meant, but my thoughts shot to the stories Bofur had been telling me in our spare time. Did he perhaps mean something bred from people along the lines of Théodor and Florin?

"One of them- the storyteller and toymaker- has been telling you about your history. Perhaps you should request he continue since the Valar have chosen to reveal it to you in this way. I will not stray from their wishes. However I do not understand how it is wished that you have come upon such a strange gathering. Perhaps they take the same path you were meant to take. The workings of the Valar are all very unclear."

_No kidding, this whole thing was unclear._ Now he was telling me that I was a descendent of those in some great story passed down through the people of Middle Earth. My mind spun and it was hard to take in what he was saying. Why had a dream turned into something so very real? Something that I apparently had lived before and could not remember if my life depended on it. I felt ridiculously faint... and lost.

"My daughter of the _tavar_, you are going to have to regain the courage you once knew if you are to remain with this company. You will have to watch the tongues of those you speak to- even the animals of Middle Earth are not all on our side."

Regain courage? _What courage? _I barely had _any_ courage. I was afraid of heights, of trolls, and I didn't know how to fight at all. Our encounter with Bert, William, and Tom certainly proved that I couldn't fight my way out of anything. I gaped at Elrond with wide eyes. This must have been some sort of mistake.

"But I came from Brighton in England, and I wasn't born with any sort of bravery-" I began, but was silenced by one of his all-knowing glances I supposed he'd used several times before. Elves must have been the type that knew _everything_. Even though what he knew didn't seem like it held much truth.

"I would like for you to take this as a blessing." He deftly reached for one of the swords, which was a rapier of fine elvish make. The blade appeared to be extremely sharp and looked as if it would slice anything it touched, but it was also light as a feather. No gems encrusted the hilt, but instead there were beautiful etchings. "Her name is _Almir_, forged from some of the finest steel and said to have been blessed many long years ago by a royal woman of the wood similar to yourself."

"T-Thank you." I stammered as he transferred the blade into my open hands. A shock like lightning went down my arms when I gripped the sword, and something in my mind sparked like it had been waiting on me my entire life. I was sure there wasn't a sword in Middle Earth that could have satisfied my liking after touching _Almir._ We briefly exchanged expressive glances once it had been solely in my hands.

"I must now go and leave you with your friends. I will send Ruuya back down to help you with your dress and to get you cleaned properly later." He bowed his head low, and exited the room via the double doors I had entered in.

* * *

When I had returned to the group it had not been long since they had woken up and were all in a chatter over the breakfast foods the elves had brought them. This time, they had taken care to find their guests some meat, and they were all very pleased. A vast array of breads, fruits, and the same elvish wines were spread out before them. However, their curiosity became evident when they realized I had returned and even Gloin stopped chewing on his meal for a minute to ask where I'd been. They were afraid the elves had taken me off and weren't planning on returning me.

"I was speaking to Elrond and he wanted to gift to me this sword." I answered all of their questioning glances, and they sat gaping as I pulled_ Almir_ out from under my cloak. You would have thought they'd never seen an elvish blade in their entire life.

"That, Lizzie, is a very dangerous gift." Thorin frowned, before he plucked it from my fingers to study it. "...seeing as you hardly know how to use a knife."

"Aye lass, I'm afraid ye' might hurt yourself with that." Bofur's eyes were fixed on the sword.

I frowned and crossed my arms, sending a glare in both of their directions. It wasn't as if I were completely _incompetent. _Last time I checked I didn't plan on going about using it on myself. "Fili and Kili did say they were going to teach me how to fight."

"That we did." Fili agreed, nodding his head. His brother only shot me an inquisitive glance.

"Well then you've got a mighty fine task ahead of you!" Gloin guffawed, and the rest of the company joined in.

I rolled my eyes and found my way away from the table of laughing dwarves, blushing furiously. I couldn't help that I was a small girl that had never even been put in the situation where I'd have to fight something. Instead of dwelling on the conversation, I found my way over to where the dwarves had neatly stacked my things in a pile beside where I slept the previous night and plopped myself on the ground. At least I still had that box I'd found to preoccupy my thoughts.

"At least your sword is considered one, they think this one here is the equivalent a letter opener." Bilbo stood above me, his curly hair falling just right above his brow as he looked down at me. "They think I'm completely useless, Lizzie... perhaps I am."

I had to agree with the other dwarves that he'd not done much besides complain he wasn't back in the Shire sleeping in his own comfortable bed, but there was something about the Hobbit that was inexplicably likeable. Maybe it was his smallness and innocence. But he did seem to make the journey more bearable in his own way. Gandalf was probably right in thinking that there was more to Bilbo than we thought.

"No..." I paused, peering up at him. "You just haven't had your moment to prove yourself yet."

He shrugged and directed his attention to the small, dirt-covered wooden box in my hands. "What's that?"

"Oh, I found this in the troll hoard when I bumped into you. I've been meaning to open it ever since but I've been so distracted."

Bilbo's eyes fluttered to mine curiously. "Well... open it."

I did as Bilbo pleased, and worked the rusted lock on the front to where it clicked open. It wasn't hard to do considering it was so old and any amount of protection from the outside world it had was rotted away. The top creaked back, and inside beneath a thin layer of dust were a few old pieces of jewelry. _How insignificant._ The snake in the cave had led me to believe that this box meant something. But hidden beneath the jewelry, a delicate ring of rubies and diamonds had settled itself for more than a few years.

By this time, Gandalf had come to join the group, and he peered over my shoulder with both hands on his staff. "My dear, that _ring_. Where did you find that?"

Bilbo answered for me before I had time to speak. "In the troll hoard while we were all searching around."

The old wizard took the box from my hands and carefully picked the ring from its place. He studied it for a minute and then looked at me attentively. "It is so strange that such a thing would be in a place like that. How in Middle Earth it got there I would not know... but this ring is very special, Elizabeth. It was your mother's."

_My mother's?_ And once again, my brain was muddled. Gandalf pressed the ring into my hand and closed my fingers over it before he joined the others. The weight of it within my palm was light and delicate, but the touch was cool and oddly familiar. I slipped it onto my pointer finger to keep from losing it, and it glistened brightly in the morning light after who knows how long of being locked up in that case.

I was determined, now, to find out what Elrond and Gandalf seemingly knew about me that I didn't.

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**A/N**: Over 10,000 views? _Wow_. Seriously, thank you guys. Sorry it took a while to get this chapter out, but I've had a nasty infection this week and was hardly able to keep myself up to the task of doing my homework. And this was kinda (in a way) a big-ish reveal about our character and I honestly was so intimidated with even starting this haha.

I know she keeps finding jewelry too (remember the brooch?), but gems are very important symbols for her people, which of course she doesn't understand yet.

Also, Eruest is elvish for Elizabeth, and tavar is elvish for wood.

Hope you liked :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Quick note - the layout and point of view of this chapter are (obviously) different than before. Explanation later :)**

* * *

**CHAPTER ELEVEN.**

* * *

**ELIZABETH**

Clearly, there was no time to ponder the significance of jewelry that morning. Gandalf and Thorin immediately began pouring over the map that would take them to the hidden door leading into the great halls of Erebor, Bofur busily whittled away at a chunk of wood, and the two heirs of Durin had it in their mind that Lizzie was to learn the proper way to wield a sword. Most of the company agreed her to be as good as useless to continue without any knowledge of how to defend herself.

She guessed she'd have to hold off on finding more about where she came from, as bad as she'd wanted to know what Elrond meant.

"Alright Lizzie, don't be afraid to hit my brother. He's tougher than he appears." Fili called over his shoulder as he followed the stone stairs that traveled down the side of the mountain. Below, a courtyard in the middle of an elaborate maze of gardens opened up beside a waterfall, tumbling down over the rocks. "He has a knack for appearing the weaker one."

"Oi!" Kili growled and hit his brother in the back of the head. His furrowed eyebrows suggested the playful disquiet of a sibling. Certainly though, he wouldn't have his brother joke about him being a poor swordsman. When it came down to their masculinity, those two didn't take it lightly. Kili also wasn't keen on Fili making a joke out of him in front of Lizzie. He just didn't understand why that mattered so greatly. "Don't forget all of the times I saved you, _older brother_, when you were caught on the receiving end of a stable boy's blow!"

Fili's cheeks reddened at his brother's sudden outburst. "Don't listen to him Lizzie. He barks more than he thinks he bites."

"Stable boy?" She questioned, her soft eyes not straying from Fili's embarrassment.

Kili seemed to be more than happy to continue the subject. "When Fili and I were young we used to practice some with-"

"Shut it unless you want Lizzie here to know some equally horrific stories about yourself." Fili interrupted his younger brother.

A muffled laugh escaped her lips before Kili and his brother sent each other glowering looks in an exchange she couldn't quite understand. Some sort of secret had been shared between the brothers that she had no clue of. However, she was more concerned with watching her footing in order to not fall on the dwarf in front of her. Clumsily falling over the steps into Fili wouldn't have been the greatest start to learning how to fend for herself. She'd probably never live it down, either_._

"Why don't you show us that sword Elrond gave you?" Kili quipped, breaking her train of thought. His dark eyes were fixed curiously at _Almir_ newly fastened to her belt. Surprisingly the blade was impressively light (featherweight, to be exact) from what it appeared. She had forgotten all about it after Bofur had made a sight out of her in front of the company and the brothers had whisked her away.

She grasped _Almir_ carefully as if it would snap in two before she unsheathed it and handed it into the wanting palms of Kili. His touch stirred a motion in her heart she tried my hardest to stifle, but it still bubbled forth in the forefront of her thoughts. She couldn't simply just start feeling butterflies like a middle school girl in the middle of a dangerous journey. _In the middle of some sort of weird, alternate reality,_ She reminded myself. Thinking like that would get her killed. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized how fond she was growing of the dark-haired prince.

Fili stopped to peer over her head so he could examine the blade as well. "That was a mighty nice gift."

"You would think he had this made for you, Lizzie." Kili's brow crinkled in thought, "The lack of weight is impressive and it's just the right size in comparison with your height."

He gently placed _Almir_ back into her hands as if he were trying his best to keep her from hurting herself, and followed his brother down into the clearing, leaving her to catch up. She furrowed my eyebrows. Fili and Kili- and all of them really- treated her as if they thought she were some kind of delicate flower they were trying not to break; like she wasn't the type that would be up for this sort of journey, but for some reason the Valar thought she was. _She'd show them delicate._

"Don't put that up, Lizzie!" Fili called, her face betraying amusement when she moved to put the sword back into its leather, "We mean to teach you to sword fight _with_ a sword."

She awarded him a dirty look, "I'm not daft you know!"

"We might know that, but do _you_?" This time Kili grinned with Fili's shared enjoyment.

She bounded down the stairs hastily, more than ready to take on any challenge the Durin brothers had in mind. Being the butt of their jokes was not her forte. Admittedly, one fault her hard head possessed was her inability to control her ferocity when she wanted to prove someone wrong. Lizzie usually took it upon herself to be on the right end of things.

* * *

**BILBO**

The hobbit fancied Rivendell far greater than the wilderness, that was for sure. The elves were kind creatures- despite Thorin's constant rage against them- and showed great hospitality and manners to their guests. In fact, he quite liked it in comparison to the Shire, where people dove their noses in his business whenever they pleased. The Sackville-Baginses quickly came to mind.

He sat against a stone column, his eyes closed as he rested for what seemed like the first time in weeks, even though they had not been journeying as long as it seemed. Either way, the little hobbit was _exhausted_. In all of his years, traveling with a band of hoodlums (a term he coined for the rowdy bunch back at Bag End), would have been the last thing he would have willingly done. Key word there being _willingly_. Because he most certainly wasn't when they burst into his home.

"Laddie?" The voice of a dwarf- he wasn't sure which one- thinned the silence. Bilbo's eyes popped open to the face of Balin, who scrutinized him under a pair of bushy eyebrows. "Just makin' sure ye were alright. Ye looked unwell."

"I'm fine, thank you Balin." The struggle in Bilbo's mind said otherwise. _Why did Gandalf have to show up on his doorstep-_

"Bilbo Baggins you're a terrible liar." Gandalf chuckled, smoking his pipe weed intently. He rose his grey eyebrows at the hobbit. "You're not expected to enjoy tramping through the woods and troll encounters, but I do believe you don't take it as well as I'd thought. You're quite the homebody. What a small streak of Took you must have."

Bilbo could say nothing. He gaped at the old wizard, not sure if admitting to his displeasure would be an offense or not.

"As it is you've no choice in turning back anyway..." He continued, crossing his arms and leaning back in the same position Bilbo took as he rested against the wall. A wave of guilt washed over him, and he could not help but feel sorry for being so hopeless in Gandalf's eyes. Strangely, he felt that he would rather not disappoint him.

"I will admit I am quite the complainer. Optimism was never my strong suit. Perhaps Elizabeth has more to complain about than me." Bilbo pondered before shutting his eyes again. He simply could not keep them open. "She seems... well, rather lost."

Gandalf took to sitting upright again at the mention of the girl's name. Indeed, Bilbo had caught his attention for good now. It was a subject even Gandalf had been contemplating for some time. "Ah yes, the little one. Lost indeed. She cannot remember her own history. What a strange circumstance she finds herself in."

Bilbo found himself beginning to drift, but his eyes shot open with the loud clang of pans as Bombur fiddled with his pack. He mumbled aloud about going crazy unless he found himself something decent to eat. He would not be able to find peace in this place. Instead, he bolstered Gandalf's curiosity. "What _is_ her history, if you don't mind me asking?"

The wizard contemplated if he should tell Bilbo of her or not, whether it was the intention of the Valar for him to know at this moment, but he knew the time was near. "Pray tell, have you listened in on Bofur's tales?"

Bilbo nodded; he had traveled not far behind on most days when Bofur spent his time telling Lizzie stories. They were quite a pleasure to listen to when he had nothing else to look forward to except a line of trees surrounding him.

"Florin and Theódor found themselves with child. Strong and sensible with the traits of man, and delicate and brilliant with the knowledge of the small folk of the wood. That child was lost to them not long after she grew past two years of age..." Gandalf caught sight of Bilbo's understanding as soon as he began to pick up on his insinuations. It was rather hard for the hobbit to believe such a legend told throughout Middle Earth would be _true._ That little Lizzie- who didn't know a thing about the outside world- could be the child of such a tale. No, a _history_.

"But she does not know?" Bilbo worked through his thoughts with his words.

"No, but she will." Gandalf turned to examine the hobbit's expressions. Bilbo lacked the words to speak again, and he sat in silence for the rest of the time being. It was a hard fact to wrap around his head, and he felt like Bofur's tales had only scratched the surface. In fact, he was quite _certain_ a simple happy-ever-after would not suffice for such a story. However, he did not question it any further.

Instead, he rose to patter across the stone floors and seat himself beside Ori. Perhaps the dwarf's interest in crochet would alleviate his homesickness. He convinced himself that he must do something to prevent any more disappointment he might bring to Gandalf. Maybe some time with someone who had an appreciation for something other than the wilderness would cheer him.

"Ori, might you know the trick of crocheting doilies?"

The mention immediately brightened the young dwarf's face.

* * *

**ELIZABETH**

For the final time, Lizzie succeeded in toppling over onto Fili, causing him to land painfully on the rigid stone below him.

"If you're going to swing a sword, Lizzie, you don't need to be throwing your weight at anyone. You're going to end up killing yourself too," Fili heaved, gasping for the air that had been emptied from his lungs. A small smirk returned to his lips, a triumphant look glazing over his eyes. "My brother would _quite_ enjoy a go at you."

Lizzie choked, but it wasn't from a lack of air. After all,_ she_ wasn't the one being crushed by her own body. Certainly Fili was doing all that he could to make her blush. That or either poke fun at his brother. She really couldn't tell. All she knew was she was more than eager to remove herself from on top of him.

"Why don't you use him anyway, I'm getting tired." Fili puffed. He'd refused to let Kili teach her the basics, mumbling something about archers not having any skills to teach sword fighting properly. He eyed his brother before he started toward the stairway, "You can have at it, brother. I'm rather finished with being toppled to the ground."

"Aye, see you're giving up brother." Kili's arms were crossed as he glanced back at the retreating form of Fili. He did not receive an answer from his brother, but instead a grumble about his aching back. Lizzie didn't assume she was _that_ heavy.

She stood in the golden sun, a sheen of sweat forming on her brow from the several times she'd rushed at Fili. Her hair was a little messy, but it was still secure in its mint green bow, and her hands were placed softly on her hips as she breathed steadily. Lizzie could have easily taken a break right then and there, but no words formed on her rosy lips.

Kili's eyes lit up when he realized it was his turn with their trainee. "Alright Lizzie, why don't you try again? _Not_ tackling me."

"I'm not doing it on purpose!" Lizzie's eyes widened in shock and her brow formed a straight line. "It's not my fault Fili backed away from me every time I got closer. I don't understand what else I'm supposed to do!"

Kili raised his eyebrows at the petite girl standing in front of him before he sent her a mischievous smile. Taking his stance in front of her as Fili had done before, he waited for Lizzie to begin. He wouldn't exactly just tell her how to go about fighting. When they were being chased by a pack of orcs, he didn't reckon anyone would be informing her of the right fighting stance.

Lizzie scoffed and positioned herself as Fili had explained, perfectly mirroring Kili's more masculine frame. She did exactly as instructed and moved to strike him, but instead she found herself tumbling again with all of her weight crashing down on Kili. She landed face first into his firm (yes, she took note of that) chest, her legs in a tangle with his, not much different from when she'd found herself on top of Fili. But some how, she was _much_ more flustered this time.

"Sorry! I don't know why I can't just-" She mumbled, her sunkissed brown tresses falling lightly out of her hair tie as she attempted to push herself off of Kili's chest, "-seem to do anything right-"

Both of them stopped, their eyes widening as Lizzie looked down into the dwarf prince's amber-colored eyes. She couldn't help but notice how _close _the two of them were. The rapid beat of Kili's heart sped against her palms. A blush- or maybe it was just the heat from running around under the heat of the sun- made its way across both of their cheeks.

If there was ever an awkward moment of clouded understanding between the two, _that was it. _Oh boy,_ that was it.  
_

* * *

**I am terribly sorry this took forever! I've been so busy for the past few weeks, and in the middle of all of it, my computer broke. Either way, I promise I'm not quitting on this!**

**Starting this chapter, I'm writing about each of the different characters (kind of in a George Martin Game of Thrones style, if you will), because I think it'll broaden the story. And develop more of the different characters. I will be going back and doing the same in the previous chapters, so I will let you guys know when I do, because new information will be added. Thank you guys for reading, reviewing, your favorites, and follows. You make my day!**


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE.**

* * *

**BOFUR**

The dwarf with the funny hat puffed as he made his way up the steep edge of the Valley of Imladris with the rest of the company. Usually, he wouldn't complain about walking, but the spring heat began to creep up the back of his neck and the thick sacks filled with traveling supplies he carried only worsened his situation. It had been a long time since he had felt the swelter against his skin, and strangely, he welcomed the way his winter coat became too hot for his liking. For a brief moment, he was able to pause in his strides and shrug the dense material from his shoulders.

In the early mists of the morning, Gandalf had woken the company from their sleep, insisting that they make haste for the Misty Mountains. Thorin readily obliged while the rest of the company scrambled to pack their belongings quietly. Most of the dwarves didn't have an easy time waking after days of sleeping in under the hospitality of Elrond, including Bofur. That morning he grumbled, with the thick of sleep still heavy on his eyelids. He'd fallen asleep the previous night talking to Bifur in Khuzdul about his family before they were exiled to the Blue Mountains by the terror of Smaug. Bifur remembered vague bits from his younger years, but mostly tried to block out the desolation of his home.

Under no circumstance would their journey bring them across civilization from here on out, and an air of stillness washed over the pack of dwarves. From the corner of his eye, Bofur could see Thorin striding up the mountain deep in thought. He only glanced back once to remind the hobbit he mustn't be left behind, which sent Bilbo scuttling to catch up with the group.

"Bofur?" The question came from the girl- Lizzie- looking up at Bofur curiously with her wide green eyes. She was a pretty lass, with dainty features he'd only heard about in the stories he'd learned as a young boy. Most dwarven women didn't have such feminine characteristics. Elizabeth earned a soft spot in his heart with her eagerness to listen to his tales. He looked at her expectantly, one scruffy eyebrow raised slightly.

"What is it lass?"

"It's been a few days since you've last stopped with that story," She smiled up at him warmly. A few strands of her hair had fallen down into her eyes, and she moved to push them away.

Bofur chuckled, "I haven't forgot." He was eager to break his mind free from the journey ahead and the story behind it.

* * *

_Florin's people did not take so kindly to Theódor as she had. Perhaps they could not be blamed; they had not seen the likes of any other creature than their own, ever. The idea of a foreign man who grew almost as tall as most of their homes and spoke of vast lands filled with mountains and many others like himself brought a certain fear upon the people. They did not know if they would be peaceful or try to take their lands and kill their families. And over all, they feared for their magic.  
_

_Theódor could talk to the birds, they granted him that, but he seemed to know of no other power. He had seen the way some of them practiced the arts on the streets, and it was no laughing matter. If it fell into the wrong hands, the magic of the wood dwellers had the power to demolish more than the forest they called their home. Theódor didn't question much, but they could see in his eyes that he was curious about it.  
_

_At once when he'd been brought into their village, Florin's family fostered the young man into their home upon seeing his state. He had not seen another man in many moons, his stomach was empty and his face slightly gaunt from his lack of nourishment, and he was in great need of a bath._

_"Young man, you are curious as the edge of the forest. Where do you come from? I have not seen one as tall and... different as you." Florin's mother spoke as she sent her daughter off to fetch some clean water from the well. The patter of her tiny footsteps raced across the floor before the door swung shut. She ran her hand over the cheek of Theódor's face, looking at him with questioning, cautious eyes.  
_

_"I lived near a lake m'lady, far from this place. It centers itself in between the dense forest of Mirkwood and the great Lonely Mountain. I come from a modest family of farmers and my people don't do much talking to the birds. In fact, we live much differently from yourselves." Theódor answered the woman's questions with a weary gaze as his tired hands rested on the arms of the chair._

_"I have not learned of many places beyond the edges of our land. Your people do not speak the language of the thrush. Do they know it?" She moved to grab some greens and vegetables from the table and rifled through the cupboard to find a pot to soak it all in. Florin came rushing through the door with the bucket full of water sloshing in her hands, steadying it for a moment. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement._

_"No, m'lady, no one knows the language but myself. And quite everyone thinks my mind is not right and they do not believe I can." The way he looked down at his hands appeared so hopeless and alone when the words escaped his mouth.  
_

_Florin helped her mother to pour a bit of the water into the cooking pot and began to wash off the lettuce while she looked at the boy in silence. He did not appear to similar to the males she was so used to spending her time with. They were not as tall, well-built, and masculine as he was. They were all determined to become masters of their skill alongside their fathers, and their strength lay in climbing trees and moving silently through the forest. This boy- he did not look like that._

_Her mother did not once take her eyes from the boiling water. She touched Florin's shoulder lightly to remind her to offer Theódor some water, to which the girl obliged._

_"Why have you come if your following of the bird would have earned you only foolishness among your people?" The woman's dark eyes returned to him, more shrouded and fearful than before. _

_He paused a moment, before he answered. "I cannot keep away from what my heart keeps telling my, m'lady."_

_Florin's emerald eyes froze and she listened, the soft pecking of a thrush against the window beginning against the window._

* * *

Bofur's feet began to ache as if he hadn't been walking in ages, and he bent over to notice that the soles of his shoes were beginning to wear from his travels. "Well that might be enough to satisfy you for the day, don't you think lass?"

"But you've left me with nothing but a cryptic end!" Lizzie strained as she matched his slowing pace. The ground beneath began to grow rocky with each mile they neared the Misty Mountains. The sky dimmed with clouds and thunder rolled in the distance. If there ever was a time to cross a mountain pass, during a thunderstorm was probably the worst. But with the strong-headed Thorin Oakenshield, they would certainly not stop.

"Oi Lizzie, ye can't ever give a man a break, can ye?" Bofur laughed heartily and the girl rolled her eyes playfully.

Not far behind, Fili let out a laugh of his own, "Now that Bofur, she definitely _can not_ do."

A flush of pink washed across her features and she stalked ahead to catch up with Bilbo, who was ambling along beside Dori , delved in some deep conversation. Bofur turned around and narrowed his eyes in Fili's direction, only to receive a wide smirk from the elder prince.

"What'd you do to the lass to make 'er blush like that Fili?"

Fili fell in line with Bofur, peering over his shoulder to check if his brother was in earshot, and quirked an eyebrow up, "You know, my brother's in love with 'er. He's such a girl he won't admit it."

Bofur turned a bit to catch the younger prince out of the corner of his eye, trailing the end of the group alongside Nori. He didn't seem to pick up on the conversation or notice either of the two's passive glances. Bofur broke out in laughter again, giving Fili a firm pat on the shoulder. "Are ye sure you're just not givin' 'im a hard time?"

"Of course I'm giving him a hard time, but my poor brother _needs_ it. I mean he's never going to admit anything to her if I don't do anything."

The roar of distant thunder boomed again across the sky, and the two turned their attention to the worsening weather overhead. Bofur hadn't ignored the fact that one of the brothers, or any of the company really, would eventually fall in love with Lizzie.

* * *

**ELIZABETH**

"Are we going to stop at any point now, or are we going to get blown away on the side of this mountain? I'd rather be weathering this out at home under my own roof! What kind of nonsense is traveling right through this weather?" Bilbo's voice seemed to go up an octave every time the crack of thunder grew nearer and the sky a shade darker. The hobbit would be all but standing on the mountain side by the time a drop of rain reached his face.

"If Thorin insists we travel on, then we must." Dori reminded him, moving himself away from the edge of the mountain side. "Best keep to the mountainside before it starts raining, you won't want to slip when it does."

The hobbit let out a frustrated groan and looked to Lizzie as if he wished for her to protest, but she only shrugged her shoulders. She had donned her cloak to ready herself for the rain as the air about grew dense and sticky with humidity. She couldn't disagree with Bilbo; being underground in a hobbit hole sounded much nicer than stranded on the side of the mountain in the middle of a storm. A drop of rain splashed against the side of her cheek and she cursed, instantly pulling up her hood. They had indeed chosen a terrible time to cross the mountains.

With another plop of rain and an impressive clap of thunder, the sky fell out and there was no dry patch on Lizzie's body.

"Everyone hold on to the mountain!" Thorin bellowed from the front, his voice barely audible above the downpour. He steadied himself on a rock almost obstructing the pathway before edging himself around a corner. Poor Bilbo stood motionless, rain soaking through his coat, right in front of Lizzie.

"Bilbo we won't let you fall, just hold on!" Lizzie yelled. She wasn't certain she could even keep herself steady, but the hobbit seemed to find enough comfort in her words to edge forward slowly. She could hear the shouts of the others behind her as the dwarves tried their hardest not to tumble over the mountainside. She could not help to hope that Kili would be particularly safe, and a strange uncomfortable feeling washed over her body. He was at the end of the line, she remembered, but there was no way to tell in the commotion.

Suddenly rocks crumbled from the pathway and Bilbo slipped and almost tumbled over the edge of the mountain. He waved his arms about as he tripped forward, his voice caught in the back of his throat. Lizzie reacted, grabbed onto his shoulder and tried to wrench him back from the edge, but she didn't have the strength to keep him back. Dwalin, who had not been too far behind Lizzie made his way across the path in front of her and caught him by the arm. He shot the hobbit an alarmed look as he steadied him; Bilbo's face appeared as white as the gardenias growing in his front garden and his breathing had escalated rapidly.

"We must find shelter!" Thorin roared again, this time the majority of the company agreeing. Lizzie conceded, full-heartedly.

As if the world hadn't brought on enough challenges, Dwalin screamed nervously against the wind, "Look out!"

Lizzie's heartbeat multiplied in her chest as she turned to face a huge boulder hurling towards the side of the mountain just above them. The wind whipped against her face and the sound of stone clashing against stone rung out over the valley, rocks tumbling everywhere around them. In the middle of it all, her fear of heights had been rekindled when she watched the pebbles spill over the edge, down into what looked like a bottomless valley.

Balin, eyes wide with fear and amazement, rose up from his position against the rock wall and pointed somewhere off in the distance. "This is no thunderstorm, it's a thunder battle!"

For a millisecond, Lizzie thought the old dwarf was out of his mind. Her eyes tore from him in the direction his finger pointed, and she saw the mountain rise and break in the shape of a figure, stumbling and scraping at anything it could get in its grasp. The mountain was alive, and it was _hurling rocks in the direction of the company_. Even that was hard for her to smooth out in her mind after ending up in Middle Earth.

"Well bless me, the legends are true! Giants! Stone giants!" Bofur stepped forward as another rock was thrown in their direction. It collided with another part of the mountain they were standing on, which had sprung forth in the form of another giant.

"Get back you fool!" Thorin yelled at Bofur, and Fili hurriedly pushed him back away from the ledge.

There was a great deal more scrambling and no progression forward before Lizzie felt the warmth of a familiar dwarf beside her. Kili had managed to traverse the pathway in front of the dwarves, and there was a cut across his cheek where a falling stone had grazed it.

"Are you alright Lizzie?" He asked, bringing his hand up to her shoulder. She nodded. She was quite alright- besides the fact that she had been scared enough to last her for quite a long time- and in much better of a state than Bilbo, who seemed to see his life flash before his eyes. "I've got you, don't worry!"

He formed a barrier between the rain and the falling stones with himself, which Lizzie was greatly glad for. She also didn't let the fact that his actions were quite swoon-worthy go unnoticed, but decided it wasn't time for her to get caught up in it in the middle of some sort of legendary battle between the animated boulders stumbling about in front of them. His warmth calmed her shivering for about a moment, before the ground under their feet began to rumble.

More rocks fell, dwarves shouted, and then it just _had _to happen- the earth split.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

* * *

**ELIZABETH**

As the storm raged overhead, the mountain began to separate right down the middle, splitting the company in half. The ground rumbled beneath as Lizzie's eyes widened and her hand went to grab the soft leather of Kili's jacket sleeve. One moment they were traversing the rugged side of the mountain with rocks falling all around, and the next they were swaying through the air on a massive stone being. An animated, _alive _giant made of the earth. It was rather difficult to fathom _what_ exactly was happening.

Maybe Bilbo had been right to want the warm comforts of home as opposed to adventure.

"Fili!" Thorin's voice broken rang out against the wind. His face was etched with bewilderment (perhaps far too much than he'd wished to express) as he clung to the rocks, helpless. It took Lizzie a moment to register that the elder Durin brother was trapped on the giant's other leg, which careened out into the abyss. It didn't take long for Kili's expression to match his uncle's.

Lizzie fumbled about under Kili's grip as if to break free, but his hands on her shoulder and waist only tightened when she moved.

"By gods! What are we going to do?" Bofur strained. He cast a glance in Thorin's direction even though the question seemed rhetorical. There clearly wasn't a thing anyone could do to rescue the dwarves on the giant's leg. Heck, even if someone could she wouldn't imagine they would be stupid enough to do it in the middle of the raging storm.

Out into the vast valley they went, screaming and gripping the side of the mountain with all of their might. She could feel the tension and agony of every single dwarf with her, as if their world was slowly being torn apart. None of them could quite make out exactly who had been lost on the other leg in the commotion.

In one swift move, another rock was hurled into the head of the stone giant, and the leg carrying the others was careening into the side of the mountain. She could not help but to think of the blonde-haired dwarf, who both Thorin and Kili were especially fond of. Lizzie's eyes widened in shock and she let out a gasp, which was drowned out by the voices yelling all around her. Kili's hand left her shoulder for a moment to grab the side of the mountain to keep from falling and his body shuddered against hers. Rain violently flecked across her cheeks and she was starting to shiver from the cold wind.

"Quick! The others!" Dwalin roared and moved to where the leg of the giant had collided with the mountainside.

This time, Lizzie was able to break free of Kili's deathly tight grip and she struggled past him, anxious to get to the other dwarves. By the time she had stumbled around the corner right behind Thorin and Dwalin, a wave of relief had washed over her to see the rest of the company struggling to get up from the ground. They had not been smashed into the mountain as they had thought.

"Thank the gods you're alright!" Thorin sighed, lending a hand to Fili, who had been knocked on his back by the impact. "Is everyone alright?"

Most of the dwarves answered with grunts and groans as they hoisted themselves up from the ground and brushed themselves off. Lizzie's eyes flitted over the company, letting out a breath of relief before it tensed back up in her chest. _Someone was missing_. _But who-_

"Bilbo! Where's Bilbo?" As the words escaped Lizzies's mouth, the company turned to look at her frantically in realization that they had lost the hobbit. Several scoured the rocks while Lizzie peered over the edge of the mountain, afraid that he had fallen over the edge in the crash.

"Here he is!" Bofur called as he leaned near the edge. Bilbo hung onto one of the rocks near the landing, struggling to hold on for his life in the torrent of rain. The poor hobbit's face looked as if he could have fainted and fallen off the cliff at any minute.

Without any warning, Thorin lowered himself onto the side of the mountain next to Bilbo and pushed him to safety. A huge wave of relief washed over the company prematurely before Thorin slipped, and Dwalin had to grab his arm and hoist him back up onto firm ground. Bilbo let out a frustrated sigh as some of the dwarves helped him up.

"We thought we'd lost you Bilbo!" Gloin exclaimed as he leaned on his axe for support.

"Lost him? He's been lost ever since he's left the Shire. This journey is no place for the likes of him." Thorin scowled, pushing past Lizzie. She exchanged shocked expressions with Kili and Fili before her eyes flitted to Bilbo, who appeared dumbfounded and hurt by the dwarf-king's distaste for him. "Now we must find shelter."

No one could speak up to disagree with Thorin's last statement; shelter was probably one of the best options after that episode.

"Up ahead there looks to be a cave!" Oin pointed straight in the direction where there looked to be some sort of crevice in the side of the mountain. Lizzie was skeptical after a large portion of the mountain turned out to be _alive_, but they didn't have any other choice. If they risked going on, they might face a repeat of the thunder battle, and they might not come out as fortunate.

Lizzie felt a shiver pass down her spine, partly from the cold air and rain. In one of his earlier drawn-out speeches, Balin had told Bilbo and Lizzie to watch out for caves in the sides of the Misty Mountains; there were things living in the crevices that were worse than trolls, and there were nearly no caves that remained unoccupied. If this were true, they might have an even worse time inside the mountains. She racked her brain, attempting to decide what exactly was the right thing to do.

"Go on Lizzie." Bofur's hand pushed the small of her back toward the entrance.

Fleeing into the cave and dodging in out of the rain into the dryness of the mountain sent a small wave of joy amongst the dwarves, Bilbo, and Lizzie. They were all greatly tired of shivering and being soaked to the bone. It was a fairly small cave which seemed to end abruptly after a few feet or so, and the dimmed light seemed to be a relief compared to the constant flash of lightning.

"It's like walking through a swamp in these." Fili complained as he plopped down in the corner and began to remove his boots.

"Let's get a fire started!" Bombur wiped the water from his brow and a smile appeared across his features.

"There will be no fires here tonight." Thorin stared at the large dwarf pointedly before turning his smouldering gaze to the raging weather outside. "We will wait out the night here and then move on in the morning."

Thorin's statement sent a shock through the company, who were expecting Gandalf to return to them once he had finished with the elves. Obviously, Thorin had other plans in mind. Lizzie became interested in her dripping shirt and boots, trying not to look directly at Thorin's angered expression.

"But it was our plan to wait for Gandalf in the mountains," Balin spoke up as he leaned against the wall next to the dark-haired, brooding dwarf-king.

Thorin's expression did not change, but he opened his mouth to give a curt answer, "Plans change."

His words were enough to silence the company, and none seemed to want to argue with his decision. Lizzie did not think it right just to leave Gandalf when he'd traveled with them so far and gotten them out of trouble on a few occasions, but she took direction from the other dwarves and did not speak up either. Besides, she was too cold, tired, and hungry to think about much else at the moment.

"I suppose we should try to get some sleep for the night," Fili quipped, eyes scanning the interior of the cave.

Lizzie nodded in approval, but found herself searching for the familiar form of Kili. Perhaps she was getting _too_ used to the brown-haired brother of Fili being around; she could not fully settle down once she knew where he was. Especially now since he had taken it upon himself to protect her from the stone giants. She soon locked eyes with the handsome dwarf, who was emptying his shoes as his older brother had done when he entered the cave. She shivered, pulling her arms against her small frame.

"You should take your boots off Lizzie, it looks like you're freezing," Kili's eyes darted down to her boots and she let out a soft hum of agreement before untying the laces. Fili was right- it did feel like she was sloshing around in a swamp in those things. "Let me have your cloak."

Kili's hand was now extended in front of her and one of his eyebrows arched expectantly. She shrugged the cloak from her frame, lifting the heavy weight from her shoulders, and put it into his hands. Most of the dwarves and Lizzie had settled into a comfortable silence as they tried to free themselves from as many layers of damp clothing as they could. Even though Lizzie felt an extra chill from the removal of her cloak, she was glad to get the drenched thing off of her.

Bilbo followed suit but began to unroll his bedroll, grumbling about the chill of the air and the catastrophe that he'd just witnessed. They ignored his complaints, being used to his constant wish to be back in the comfort of the Shire, _or rather_, his lack of knowledge for what adventure was really like.

Kili had plopped himself beside Lizzie and stretched his arm around her shoulders as if it had become the norm. She was grateful for his warmth; so much so that she was too tired to send a sarcastic remark in the direction of his older brother, who wouldn't stop looking at her with a stupid amused grin plastered across his face.

_He was just trying to be a gentleman. Really, Fili could learn from his younger brother._

Lizzie shifted, leaning into his shoulder before she laughed and mumbled, "Kili are you usually this protective?"

"Not usually, he isn't." Fili chuckled, earning a quick glare from his brother.

"I'm just worried." His voice rumbled against her back, and she furrowed an eyebrow.

"_Worried?_ Who wants to worry themselves over me?"

The blonde-haired prince answered for his brother again, "Kili does."

Her cheeks flushed slightly and she shivered at the shift of his hand brushing against her back. She silently thanked the gods that he probably thought she was just cold. Whatever the conversation was even about, she was growing slightly uncomfortable. She didn't say a word, and nothing more was mentioned between the three as she shut her eyes and drifted into a restless sleep.

After what seemed like only a few minutes passing, Lizzie woke up to hear soft voices coming from the front of the cave. She rubbed her eyes and noted that she had rolled directly into Kili's chest and he had his head on top of hers. Her sleepy eyes scanned the cave around her, and her ears noted that the deeper voice was Bofur's and the other was perhaps Bilbo. They stopped abruptly, as if they had been distracted by something, but Lizzie still could not find it in her to move.

And all the sudden, Thorin's thundering voice rang out against the cave walls. "WAKE UP, WAKE UP!"

The sound of sand moving and slipping through a crevice caught their attention, Kili jolted from his sleep, and Lizzie turned to see the ground turning into a massive crack. Oh, she could move _now_.

The next moment, they were falling through the floor, and Lizzie found herself wondering if they would ever get a break.

* * *

**BILBO**

Sticky-fingered goblins pawed at Bilbo's maroon jacket. The creatures seemed to come out of nowhere from every direction, swarming and groping with their misshapen hands. Out of all, Bilbo appeared especially disgruntled; he might have been used to sleeping on rocks and being covered in filth, but this place took uncleanness to a whole new level. In all his years living in the Shire, he had not once experienced something so _vile_. Nor had he been _this_ scared out of his wits before.

In a few seconds, the goblins had pushed him about so violently, the hobbit ended up on his hands and knees. He peered wide-eyed up into the vast cavern as the wave continued to roll around him, taking note of the wooden scaffolding and bridges leading up in what seemed like an eternal maze. A foot swiftly caught his stomach and Bilbo averted his eyes from the ceiling.

Strangely, none of the goblins seemed to note that they had lost Bilbo in the confusion. Only Nori, who was busy struggling with three goblins attached to his arms and legs, seemed to observe that he was being left behind. Nori offered Bilbo a confused glance before he was dragged away with the rest of the company. An understanding Bilbo could not place passed between the two, and Nori opened his mouth to speak, but extended no warning to the others. What he could achieve by escaping the grasp of the retreating creatures, Bilbo could not figure out.

Bofur's shocked expression disappeared with the last of the goblins rushing around the corner. The screeching and howling grew softer as they traveled further and further to who knew where, and Bilbo was left in silence. He waited for a moment, on his hands and knees, as if he could not fathom that the goblins had actually overlooked him.

He frowned and felt as if the daunting silence had brought a weight down onto his small frame. _What was he supposed to do? There was no way back; only the way forward in which the goblins had violently pressed on._

Bilbo stood, balancing himself on his feet as if he were steadying himself from a bought of dizziness. Quickly, his palm pressed to the hilt of his sword and he yanked it from its sheath, glowing brilliantly blue against the darkness that surrounded him.

_It was now or never._ He contemplated the never for a split second.

His sizeable feet carried him over a rather unsteady bridge and he crouched, his breath hesitating against the damp air and his own pulsing heartbeat rushing in his head. His hands shook as he held his sword, clammy from a veil of perspiration.

"For the Shire," Bilbo mumbled as he edged onto the precarious wooden bridge, "_Not_ the Sackville-Baginses, bless them."

Quickly, Bilbo's feet carried him half the length of the unsteady ground. He faltered for a split second, peering down at the depths below him. _If he were to fall_-

Suddenly, Bilbo no longer had a moment to ponder what would become of him if he tumbled over the edge. With beady eyes glaring up at him and heavy breath, a goblin had landed right in front of him. Instinctively, he jumped, but could not bring himself to attack the creature. It hissed, baring its pointed crooked teeth, and caught Bilbo's left side.

The hobbit reared in surprise and attempted to pry the thing off of him, but lost his footing on the edge of the bridge. _Surely, he would wind up dead somewhere below the depths of that treacherous goblin cave._ His vision blurred and his back impacted the side of a very hard rock.

And then... blackness.

When he recalled it a few hours later, hidden underneath a pile of mushrooms, he remembered only a short struggle that had escalated into a long fall.

* * *

**Thank all of you lovelies for being _so_ fantastic! **

**Also, is it just me, or has Dean O'Gorman gotten _more_ freaking O'Gorgeous lately? Literally he is slowly now becoming my favorite ;)  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN.**

* * *

**KILI**

His sleep had been restless; a drift in and out of consciousness as his body anxiously soaked in the heat from the small figure of Lizzie huddled against him. He had grown used to the girl's presence, and as much as he too willingly came to admit, enjoyed the feeling of her pressed up against his side. Visions of his uncle and his brother falling filled his head and he shifted uncomfortably against the rock pushing into his back.

He heard Bofur's voice cut out across the silence, resounding only a little above a whisper, and Kili's eyes shot open. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Back to Rivendell." It was Bilbo, his voice too distinctively high to be one of the dwarves'.

"You can't turn back now, you're part of the company! You're one of us!"

"I'm not now, am I? Thorin said I should never have come and he was right. I'm not a Took, I'm a Baggins. I don't know what I was thinking. I should never have run out my door."

"You're homesick, I understand." Bofur's voice was strained with the realisation that their burglar had turned his intentions from the road ahead to the road behind. He could not find his words fast enough to compete with Bilbo's argument.

"No! You you don't understand, none of you do. You're dwarves! You're used to this life, to being on the road, never settling in one place, and not belonging anywhere…" There was a pause in Bilbo's speech as if he'd just realised his words were offensive. "No, no I'm sorry. I didn't mean that-"

"No, you're right. We don't belong anywhere. I wish you all the luck in the world, I really do." Kili could feel a frown spread across his face in the darkness as silence once again spread throughout the room. But before Bilbo could step out of the cave, Bofur's voice rang out against the walls again. "What's that?"

His curiosity had peaked at this point, and Kili sat up slowly, still aware of the girl resting her head on him. He knew she was not asleep- he could see the outline of her face and her eyes scanning the cave even though there was scarcely any light- but he still took care as to not throw her to the ground.

He saw that his brother was sleeping more soundly than him, his arms crossed across his bulky frame and his breath moving steadily. He could even make out the clouds of frost that rose from his brother's mouth in the cold air.

Suddenly, Thorin's cries rang out through the caves causing the dwarves to all start from their sleep in confusion. Sand slid through a long crack that seemed to come out of nowhere, and the ground was shifting beneath the company. Kili found himself grabbing at the girl on top of him, trying to hold on to her for dear life, and then felt the floor give way beneath them.

They tumbled downward for what seemed like minutes, following the twisting track that they had been dumped into. Kili felt himself begin to go dizzy from the commotion, and almost instantly after he found his back colliding with hard timber. They had landed in some sort of makeshift basket as if it were intentionally put there to catch whatever fell from above. _Strange, why-_

And then the horrible screeching sound came. Dozens of goblins were descending upon them from the only pathway that lead to where they had landed. They instantly took to grabbing at them and tearing each dwarf from the clump one at a time. Several made attempts to knock the goblins back, but there were so many and the shock had been so great from the fall, they were easily overtaken. Kili suddenly realised how close they were getting to his side of the basket.

"L-Lizzie!" He stuttered; he was still holding the girl tight to his chest. He didn't understand how he'd been able to keep her from breaking away in the fall, but he was glad she had not been separated from him.

She peered up at him, her innocent blue-green eyes wide and scared.

An anxious feeling washed over him as he watched his brother be dragged from the pile right in front of him. But somehow, courage managed to well up in his stomach. It was the protective kind of courage that he'd heard other dwarves tell about when he was younger; the kind he would only understand one day when he was older. He leaned down to kiss Lizzie on the cheek. Her was soft and warm, and she smelled sweetly of the earth like he'd imagined. Even with the threat that they could possibly be killed by the goblins, a light blush creeped across her cheeks.

His brow furrowed in determination. "We're going to get out of this, I promise."

Of course, he did not know if they would make it out of there alive or not. _And if they didn't..._

Perhaps it was his lack of sleep that caused him to allow his control to slip for one minute, or maybe it was even the fact that they were outnumbered by a hoard of goblins, but Kili could not keep himself from kissing beautiful little Lizzie right then and there.

He could not help but to want to show her that he actually cared about her, but-

She put her hands on his chest, as if to relish the moment before they both knew she would be taken from him in a matter of seconds. Her lips were delicate and pleasant, and he could feel her breath fanning over his cheek.

The moment was short lived; she was easily torn from him with one swift movement.

* * *

**BOFUR**

Bofur found himself at the front of the mound of dwarves when they had fallen down through the cave. He had landed in a very uncomfortable position, and had been one of the first to be dragged out of the pile by a particularly unattractive goblin. He wished he would have reacted fast enough to combat them, but they had come down upon the company so swiftly that they were completely blindsided.

"Where's the lass?" The words shot from his throat sooner than he could stop them and his eyes raked his surroundings for any sign of her. She would probably be with the dark-haired prince, considering the young dwarf seemed to refuse to let her out of his sight more and more each day.

He received no answer, but only ringing screeches in return, drowning out almost all other noises. He was kicked, pushed, and turned about as they moved in a line making their way over bridges made of old wood and rocky pathways carved out in the side of the mountain for what seemed like ages. He watched as Thorin attempted to struggle his way out of their arms to no avail, and saw Bombur make no attempt to free himself as if he'd given up.

They soon reached an enormous cavern filled with structures that looked less than sturdy, and a large platform built haphazardly in the center of the mess. There, in the middle of that platform, sat one of the largest goblin's Bofur had ever lain his eyes on. Shouts came from all around as they were shoved in front of what he assumed was the goblin king, and their confiscated weapons were thrown onto the wooden planks in front of him.

The king spoke, booming loudly at the company, and the goblins around seemed to quiet themselves. "Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Spies? Thieves? _Assassins?_"

"Dwarves, your malevolence." One of the goblins near sneered through the crowd.

The king looked surprised, but continued to speak. "_Dwarves?!_"

"Yes, we found them on the front porch."

"Well don't just stand there, search them!" At that point, Bofur had managed to spot an uncomfortable looking Lizzie, who had been carried to a spot a few feet away from Kili. The goblins began pushing at them again, and his gaze returned to the goblins around him. "Every crack, every crevice!"

He spoke again, moments after they had been shuffled around more, demanding their answers. "What are you doing in these parts? Speak!"

None of them opened their mouths to give him an answer.

"Very well. If they will not talk, we'll make them squawk!" He turned to face the audience that had surrounded him, but once he had returned his eyes to the company, he looked as if he had spotted something new and valuable. "_What's this?_ A _lady_ in our presence? How rude of me, little one of the forest."

Bofur turned his head, almost having to crane his neck to find Lizzie again. If she had looked terrified before, she looked more horrified than he had ever seen her. The poor little lass was likely to attract more attention than she'd wanted.

"How _odd_ to find you amongst this band of intruders. But what a pretty gem you are. You are worth more than the lot of these miscreants combined!" He grinned, very pleased with his findings. Bofur struggled once again to escape the grasp of the goblins, but they would not budge.

"What a very good prize we've found indeed, your malevolence!" Another spoke up, as a round of cheers rung throughout the cavern. Bofur had hoped they would not pay attention to Lizzie, but it was inevitable they would find her. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kili trying his hardest to break free. His eyes were fixed in a glare at the goblin king.

"Do you know how many would pay such a high price for you? For your abilities and your knowledge?" The king continued, sending her a satisfied look. Lizzie did not answer his question, however. "_Your_ _flower alone is worth more than that price._"

At that, Bofur began to feel sick at his stomach. Kili began to struggle more in the grips of the goblins, and Thorin shot a hard look at his nephew.

"Wait!" Thorin called out over the cries of the goblins, stepping forward.

Instantly, the king recognized him, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Well, well, well. Look who it is. Thorin, son of Thrain son of Thror, king under the mountain." He bowed mockingly in Thorin's direction, a wave of laughter following.

"Oh! But I'm forgetting, you don't have a mountain, and you're not a king. Which makes you... _nobody_ really. I know several who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just a head- nothing attached." He then turned to a goblin beside him, "Send word to our brothers throughout the land. Tell them I've found a glorious prize, including the girl."

Thorin's gaze grew dark. All of the other dwarves began to fight furiously against the goblins holding them, and Lizzie's eyes caught Bofur's. They held each other's gazes for a few seconds before Lizzie's broke away hastily.

"No," She pursed her lips together before raising her voice, "Leave them and take me! What use are they to you?"

All of their eyes turned abruptly upon Lizzie.

* * *

A tad short but... muahaha, he kissed her!

I had a lovely reader ask to use part of my story in hers, so please do go check it out! **ThaliaHuntressGrace**'s story is called **An Unexpected Royal Addition**. :)

P.S. Andddd, you are all fabulous. Thank you for reading, reviewing, and being magical. Also, I am thinking about starting my own little LOTR/Hobbit reader insert oneshot series (soooo original, I know) because I mean, who doesn't enjoy those? If you have a prompt idea you'd like me to fill, send it my way. ;)


	15. Author's Note :)

Hello all!

I just wanted to drop by with a quick author's note since this story hasn't been updated in a _long_ while. I am so terribly sorry that I've been slack with it, but literally I have just been so stuck lately and haven't written much at all. The only thing that I've worked on has been a few snippets of things here and there, and this story has been worked on a little bit. I am not going to give up on this at any point and I just wanted to let you know that. It might be a few weeks or a few days, I have no idea, but I will continue it when I feel inspired again. Thank you all for being such a lovely audience. I enjoy writing for you so much! Hope all is well.

- Lauren xx


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